SYDNEY :Wallabies back Joseph Suaalii inspired the New South Wales Waratahs to a stunning 21-14 win over the Waikato Chiefs in round nine of Super Rugby Pacific, a result that allowed the Canterbury Crusaders to go top of the standings.
The 14-times champion Crusaders had clung on to hand Wellington Hurricanes a 31-24 defeat in the opening clash of the weekend on Friday which took them above the Chiefs into pole position.
The Queensland Reds could have joined the Crusaders on 28 points with a bonus-point win over the ACT Brumbies in Brisbane on Saturday but were outmuscled 39-26 by the Canberra-based visitors in wet conditions at Lang Park.
The Brumbies scored five of their six tries through forwards from close range, two from hooker Billy Pollard off rolling mauls, as they secured a fourth straight win over the Reds.
The gritty victory moved the Brumbies into third place in the table on 23 points, above the Reds only on points difference, four behind the Chiefs and two clear of the fifth-placed Waratahs.
In Friday’s incident packed second game, fullback Suaalii scored his first Super Rugby try with a superb individual effort and played a part in a brilliant 101-metre try for Teddy Wilson that gave the Waratahs a 21-7 lead just after halftime.
Visiting flanker Samipeni Finau crashed over in the 52nd minute to cut the deficit but the Waratahs, roared on by the crowd, showed steely resolution in defence to hold on for a first win over the Chiefs since 2016.
“We’ve come out hard in the first half and then we’ve put on that performance in defence in the second half,” Suaalii said at Sydney Football Stadium.
“We haven’t lost yet here, and we’re making it very hard for teams to come across and win.”
THRILLING CHAPTER
It was another thrilling chapter in what has been the most competitive Super Rugby competition for many years and kept the usually dominant New Zealand teams winless in Australia.
The most dominant of those teams, the Crusaders, opened up a 21-point lead early in the second half in Wellington on Friday but had to cling on for the win with 13 men after Ethan Blackadder and Antonio Shalfoon were shown yellow cards.
“The boys are prepared to dig deep for each other,” said Crusaders coach Rob Penney. “We were down to 13 and hanging on by our fingertips, (but) got the result.”
The reigning champion Auckland Blues continued their resurgence on Saturday at Eden Park with a 36-17 win over the in-form Moana Pasifika, their six tries earning a bonus point to keep them in the hunt for the six-team playoffs.
Fijian Drua remain rooted to the bottom of the standings after suffering a 43-20 loss to the Otago Highlanders in Dunedin, where a pair of early tries from debutant winger Taniela Filimone set up a bonus-point win for the home side.
The Highlanders moved up to seventh on 17 points, one ahead of the Hurricanes and Blues with Moana a further point back in 10th and the Drua adrift on seven points.
