Brumbies offer Australian hope
Hold the phone, maybe there is hope for Australian rugby in 2020 after all, at least on the field.
The Brumbies’ stunning round-four Super Rugby upset against the Chiefs in Hamilton on Saturday breathed life into the competition, but also fuelled some hope for the international season.
New Wallabies coach Dave Rennie must have had a few mixed emotions watching on from Scotland as his former side was shocked 26-14 by a team featuring several players that he’ll be mentoring in the gold jersey later in the year.
Stormers
Crusaders
Brumbies
Chiefs
Sharks
Jaguares
Blues
Hurricanes
Reds
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Crusaders 33 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 1 2 2 3 90 116 114 78 64 56 58 47 37 71 87 33 50 97 134 99 1 2 1 2 0 0 0 0 17 14 13 10 8 4 4 0
Spark Arena may be the home court of the Breakers and the stage for some of the biggest touring acts to hit New Zealand. But make no mistake, the Auckland venue is Dan Hooker’s house.
The noise was deafening from the 10,025 sell-out crowd as Hooker (21-8) claimed a split decision victory over Paul Felder (17-5) in a five-round war at UFC Fight Night yesterday.
‘‘The Hangman’’ had appeared in the mixed martial arts promotion’s two previous visits to the city and stole the show each time.
‘‘I’ll defend this land, no matter what the cost.’’ Dan Hooker
While there was the added pressure on this occasion of being the headline act, the result was the same. However, it was much closer than many of the local fans would have liked, as Felder pushed a relentless pace and refused to take a backward step.
The brutal contest was awarded the Fight of the Night bonus and there were suggestions in the commentary that Hooker may have suffered a broken jaw.