Lions feel the bite as Hurricanes’ predator extends purple patch
BEN Lam scored a hattrick as Hurricanes beat Lions 28-19 in their clash at Westpac Stadium yesterday.
The win meant Hurricanes have narrowed the gap with top placed Crusaders to two points in the New Zealand Conference while Lions continue to top the South African Conference despite defeat.
Hurricanes Northampton-bound coach Chris Boyd hailed his hat-trick hero, who is now joint top try-scorer in the competition with nine.
Boyd said: “Ben works really hard off the ball, he’s a wonderful try-scorer, he’s good in the air, he’s a good defender and he’s physical. He’s in a purple patch where all of that’s come together.”
Lam scored his first try in the eighth minute and Lions’ attempts to bounce back were thwarted by strong defence from the hosts. Things went from bad to worse for the visitors when Springbok hooker Malcolm Marx left the field with a leg injury.
Ardie Savea crossed in the 25th minute to double the lead and Beauden Barrett added his second conversion for 14-0. Lions hit back just before halftime when Nic Groom crashed over at close quarters and Elton Jantjies converted.
But Lam ensured Hurricanes claimed the bonus point with back-to-back touchdowns in the 44th and 53rd minutes.
Australia’s Super Rugby drought continues after the
NSW Waratahs fell to a 2421 loss to the lowly Blues in Sydney.
Not even the return of an inspired Israel Folau could save the Waratahs from suffering a 38th straight defeat for Australian teams against New Zealand opposition in Super Rugby.
Topping the Australian Conference and up against the cellar dwellers from the New Zealand ConferSekope ence, the Waratahs had been fancied to snap the near-two-year run of losses in trans-Tasman encounters.
The Blues had won just two of their nine matches in 2018 but despite enjoying 75 per cent of territory and the lion’s share of possession, the Waratahs were never in front.
Unfortunately for Paddy Ryan in his 100th Super Rugby game, the front rower spilt the ball on the last play of the match as the Waratahs blew a golden opportunity to nick it.
Folau was making his comeback after five weeks out with a hamstring injury and threatened the Blues virtually every time he touched the ball.
Man of the match Rieko Ioane, left, had given Blues the lead in the 24th-minute but the sin-binning of Blues flanker Dalton Papalii for a high tackle gave Waratahs a foothold.
Damien Fitzpatrick drove over from the ensuing lineout and Bernard Foley’s conversion reduced the deficit to three points.
Despite being a man down, Blues scored again through winger Tumua Manu and it was too little, too late when Kepu and Michael Hooper scored for the Waratahs.
The Jaguares won a team-record fourth game in succession to finish their tour of Australia and New Zealand in style by upsetting the Chiefs 23-19 in Rotorua. A first-half try by winger Ramiro Moyano and a penalty try after the break were enough for the in-form Argentines to win their first ever match against the Chiefs and finish their tour with a perfect 4-0 record.
Bulky hooker Andrew Makalio scored a brace of tries as the Crusaders posted their biggest ever win in Australia, destroying the Rebels 55-10 to maintain their grip on top spot of the New Zealand Conference.
Makalio crossed in both halves and the visitors grabbed further tries from Seta Tamanivalu, Jack Goodhue, Peter Samu, Bryn Hall, Wyatt Crockett and Manasa Mataele.
The Stormers won a thrilling derby 29-17 against the Bulls. They raced into a 12-0 lead inside 11 minutes after tries from Damian Willemse and Wilco Louw, but Lood de Jager ghosted through to hit back for the Bulls and Jason Jenkins scored after the interval to give them the lead.
However, some poor defending opened the door and Stormers struck back immediately when SP Marais sped clear. Marais kicked a long-range penalty to extend the lead to five before Ramone Samuels made the win secure. In the late game, the Sharks smashed the Highlanders 38-12 in Durban, outscoring the New Zealanders by five tries to two, with the bonus point moving them into the playoff positions.