Waratahs upset sloppy Chiefs, Crusaders go top
FRIDAY WRAP: The Crusaders have survived a nervy last quarter to hold on for a 31-24 win over the Hurricanes in Wellington, while the Waratahs upset the Chiefs to boost their play-off ambitions.
Rob Penney’s men were reduced to 13 players late after Ethan Blackadder and Antonio Shalfoon went to the sin bin.
It allowed the hosts to launch a comeback, reducing the margin to seven points before having several chances at the Crusaders’ line.
The Hurricanes had one final shot of sending the match into golden point with a rolling maul as they gunned to score a converted try to send the scores level.
It was, however, the visitors that came up with the deciding blow, including the rolling maul turnover after the siren for the win.
It came after the Crusaders held a 31-10 lead after a hat-trick to hooker Ioane Moananu.
The Hurricanes opened the scoring after a smart run from centre Peter Umaga-Jensen close to the line.
This woke the Crusaders into action as hooker Moananu sparked the visitors into action.
Moananu crossed for a double as the Crusaders raced out to a lead, first scoring from a rolling maul before backing up a Scott Barrett break for his second.
Wallaby flyhalf James O’Connor was a sudden inclusion after Tahs Kemara’s head injury assessment and made an instant impact.
O’Connor pounced on an overthrown line-out and spun past two defenders, sprinting away to give the Crusaders a 19-10 lead.
This was quickly extended when winger Chay Fihaki continued his hot streak with a lovely finish in the corner, giving Barrett yet another try assist.
Moananu’s third had the Crusaders in what seemed like a prime position for victory before the collapse.
Peter Lakai reduced the margin before the pair of yellow cards inside three minutes opened the game wide open.
Umaga-Jensen took a chance to expose the space as the centre crossed for a double.
The Hurricanes marched back into the 22 and had a chance to claim the win before the visitors got over the ball for the steal.
A late breakdown penalty offers one last chance to strike, only for the visitors to hold strong.
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The Waratahs are cherishing a win for the ages after mixing style with substance in a rousing 21-14 upset victory over the Chiefs.
In a brilliant bounce back after two howlers in New Zealand, the Waratahs conjured a try-of-the-season contender before defending their line with 14 men for some 28 phases after the fulltime siren to hang on bravely on Friday night.
“That’s a special one. That’ll be up there,” said stand-in captain Hugh Sinclair, deputising for the injured Jake Gordon.
“That crowd was immense, especially in that last passage of play. Got their money’s worth.
“Yeah, just stoked to get the win after a tough couple of weeks.”
The boilover at their Sydney Football Stadium fortress was the Waratahs’ fifth win in an unbeaten run in Sydney this campaign and thrust Dan McKellar’s side to fourth on the ladder.
The famous victory was nothing but deserved after the Waratahs endured a series of dubious calls late in the first half that might have derailed a side of less resilience.
In a team of heroes intent on answering McKellar’s demand to respond after leaking 16 tries and 102 points in back-to-back defeats to the Hurricanes and Moana Pasifika, inspirational centre Joey Walton and code-crossing superstar Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii at fullback were stand-outs.
Walton was in everything in attack and defence, while Suaalii was integral to all three of the Waratahs’ tries as the Waratahs snapped an eight-match, eight-year losing streak against the Chiefs.
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The Waratahs’ defensive will and pressure reduced Chiefs and All Blacks pin-up Damien McKenzie to a fumbling nervous wreck.
“I let our team down tonight,” the fullback said.
“Just not good enough by my standards and, when you do that against a good team like the Waratahs, particularly at home, they’re going to put you under pressure.
“So extremely disappointed with my performance.”
The Waratahs had every right to feel aggrieved at not being 21-0 up at half-time, or at least 19-0, instead of only 14-7 after being on the wrong end of a succession of contentious decisions.
With the Waratahs leading 14-0, the television match official overturned a try to Lalakai Foketi in the 27th minute after ruling that the airborne centre planted the ball simultaneously on the tryline and sideline.
Two minutes later, the Chiefs bagged their first try down the other end to winger Leroy Carter off a suspected forward pass.
Rubbing salt into the wound, Chiefs centre Gideon Wrampling was most fortunate to only receive a yellow card rather than a straight red after rising high to plough his shoulder into Suaalii’s head in the shadows of half-time.
The Tahs had to settle for a tenuous seven-point buffer at the break after a solo effort from Suaalii, who beat four defenders to touch down, and a well-worked try to winger Triston Reilly.
To the delight of the delirious crowd, the home team restored their 14-point advantage four minutes into the second half with a rousing length-of-the-field effort.
After defending their own line stoutly, the Waratahs converted a desperate turnover into a 102-metre special – started and finished by halfback Teddy Wilson after the ball travelled through five sets of hands.
Wilson released Kellaway from the turnover before the winger sped 35 metres downfield and put Suaalii away inside the right touch line.
Suaalii’s infield pass was majestically – and blindly – tapped on by flyhalf Lawson Creighton back to the supporting Kellaway, who put Wilson over.
The incredible strike ultimately proved the difference after flanker Samipeni Finau crashed over to reduce the deficit to seven points as, even with replacement lock Miles Amatosero in the bin for the closing stages, the Chiefs couldn’t force golden-point super time.
The results and scorers are below…
Super Rugby Pacific
Hurricanes 24-31 Crusaders
Match Summary
Scorers
For the Hurricanes:
Tries: Lakai, Umaga-Jensen 2
Cons: Hohepa, Harkin 2
Pen: Hohepa
For the Crusaders:
Tries: Fihaki, O’Connor, Moananu 3
Cons: O’Connor, Kemara 2
Yellow cards: Ethan Blackadder (Crusaders: repeated infringements in red zone – offside 68′), Antonio Shalfoon (Crusaders: repeated infringements in red zone – offside 70′)
Teams:
Hurricanes: 15 Ruben Love, 14 Ngatungane Punivai, 13 Bailyn Sullivan, 12 Peter Umaga-Jensen, 11 Kini Naholo, 10 Riley Hohepa, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Peter Lakai, 7 Du’Plessis Kirifi (co-captain), 6 Brayden Iose, 5 Isaia Walker-Leawere, 4 Caleb Delany, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Asafo Aumua (co-captain), 1 Xavier Numia.
Replacement: 16 Raymond Tuputupu, 17 Pouri Rakete-Stones, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Will Tucker, 20 Brad Shields, 21 Ereatara Enari, 22 Callum Harkin, 23 Fatafehi Fineanganofo.
Crusaders: 15 Will Jordan, 14 Chay Fihaki, 13 Levi Aumua, 12 David Havili (captain), 11 Sevu Reece, 10 Taha Kemara, 9 Noah Hotham, 8 Christian Lio-Willie, 7 Ethan Blackadder, 6 Cullen Grace, 5 Jamie Hannah, 4 Scott Barrett, 3 Fletcher Newell, 2 Ioane Moananu, 1 Tamaiti Williams.
Replacements: 16 Matt Moulds, 17 George Bower, 18 Kershawl Sykes-Martin, 19 Antonio Shalfoon, 20 Tom Christie, 21 Mitchell Drummond, 22 James O’Connor, 23 Macca Springer.
Referee: James Doleman
Assistant referees: Todd Petrie, Fraser Hannon
TMO: Glenn Newman
Waratahs 21-14 Chiefs
Match Summary
Scorers
For the Waratahs:
Tries: Su’aalli, Reilly, Wilson
Cons: Creighton 3
For the Chiefs:
Tries: Carter, Finau
Cons: McKenzie
Yellow cards: Gideon Wrampling (Chiefs: Dangerous tackle – shoulder to head 34′), Miles Amatosero (Wararahs: repeated team infringements – offside 77)
Teams
Waratahs: 15 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Lalakai Foketi, 12 Joey Walton, 11 Triston Reilly, 10 Lawson Creighton, 9 Teddy Wilson, 8 Langi Gleeson, 7 Jamie Adamson, 6 Rob Leota, 5 Ben Grant, 4 Hugh Sinclair (captain), 3 Daniel Botha, 2 Ethan Dobbins, 1 Angus Bell.
Replacements: 16 Julian Heaven, 17 Isaac Kailea, 18 Taniela Tupou, 19 Miles Amatosero, 20 Leafi Talataina, 21 Jack Grant, 22 Jack Bowen, 23 Henry O’Donnell.
Chiefs: 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Shaun Stevenson, 13 Gideon Wrampling, 12 Quinn Tupaea, 11 Leroy Carter, 10 Josh Jacomb, 9 Cortez Ratima, 8 Simon Parker, 7 Luke Jacobson (captain), 6 Samipeni Finau, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Manaaki Selby-Rickit, 3 George Dyer, 2 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 1 Ollie Norris.
Replacements: 16 Bradley Slater, 17 Jared Profit, 18 Reuben O’Neill, 19 Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 20 Kaylum Boshier, 21 Xavier Roe, 22 Daniel Rona, 23 Emoni Narawa.
Referee: Angus Mabey
Assistant referees: Marcus Playle, Stu Curran
TMO: James Leckie
Sources: Super Rugby Pacific & AAP
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