Tops and flops of the weekend
Opinion: Brendon Egan runs the rule over the highs and lows from the latest action.
Make that seven in a row for the highflying Hurricanes.
The Hurricanes remain the only unbeaten team in Super Rugby Pacific after toppling the Chiefs 36-23 in the capital on Saturday.
It was another statement performance from the ‘Canes, who have beaten all their Kiwi rivals (Blues, Crusaders, Highlanders and Chiefs) this season.
New coach Clark Laidlaw has his side humming and playing with plenty of confidence, even after losing their best player (Cam Roigard) for the season.
The Hurricanes’ 7-0 start equals their best start to a campaign, matching their 2015 side, who finished top of the log, but lost to the Highlanders in the final.
Beat the Fijian Drua in Suva on Friday and the Hurricanes class of 2024 will create history.
What a time to be a sports fan in the capital with the Hurricanes and Wellington Phoenix rolling along. Imagine if they both won titles this season. Street parade anyone?
Flop: Crusaders
Closing out tight games has always been a hallmark of the championship winning Crusaders sides. Diehard red-and-black fans would have been cussing at their TV screens after watching Rivez Reihana’s costly blunder against the Waratahs in Sydney.
Christian Lio-Willie’s late try should have clinched victory, but Reihana didn’t wind the clock down with his successful conversion.
He left just enough time for a restart and the Waratahs made them pay. They got the ball back and were awarded a penalty.
Will Harrison drilled the kick to make it 40-40 and he was the hero in golden point, nailing a drop goal to give the Waratahs their second win over the Crusaders this season. Add in a shambolic lineout in their own 22 in extra time that gifted the Waratahs the ball and it was galling stuff from the Crusaders.
This has been a horror first season for new coach Rob Penney. Nothing has gone right with injuries or key moments in crunch games.
The Crusaders slump to 1-6, languishing in 11th place on the 12-team table.
Lose to the bottom placed Force in Perth on Saturday and the heat will only ramp up further on Penney and his struggling team.
Top: Taiko Torepe-Ormsby (see above)
Mark down the name Taiko TorepeOrmsby.
The Christchurch swimmer lit up the New Zealand Swimming Championships in Hastings over the weekend.
Torepe-Ormsby produced the fastest 50m freestyle swim by a New Zealander, touching the wall in 21.86 seconds.
The time is under the Olympic qualification standard and is the first time a New Zealander has swum the distance in sub-22 seconds. Torepe-Ormsby has been studying and competing at the University of Wisconsin in the US for the past three years. He looks to have a bright future.
Flop: Highlanders
Another week, another disappointing showing from the Highlanders.
The Highlanders would have headed to Melbourne feeling quietly confident about their chances of matching it with the Rebels.
They were outgunned, nearly conceding 50 points in a 47-31 loss.
This was the fourth straight loss for the Highlanders, who haven’t won since March 8 when they beat the Waratahs in Sydney.
Things don’t get any easier with another road clash on tap against the Reds in Brisbane on Friday.
Top: Blues women
Chalk up the Blues as the champions of Super Rugby Aupiki season three.
They might have trailed by 13 points late in the game, but stormed home in the wet to knock over Chiefs Manawa 24-18 in the decider at Eden Park.
The Blues only led for the final two minutes of the game after a match-winning try from No 8 Liana Mikaele-Tu’u clinched the title.
It represented some turnaround from the Blues, who lost two of their three round matches last season and lost the third-fourth playoff.
Flop: Chiefs Manawa
Two straight finals, two straight losses for Chiefs Manawa.
Chiefs Manawa are quickly becoming Super Rugby Aupiki’s bridesmaid team, following up their surprise loss to Matatū in last year’s final with another loss in the title match.
Last season, Chiefs Manawa were the form team through the competition, winning their three round games, but fell over at the final hurdle.
They weren’t as dominant this season, but leading for virtually the whole final would have been eyeing redemption. That will have to wait for 2025.
Top: Shaun Johnson
The Warriors’ playmaker did a bit of everything to lift his side to a come from behind draw with Manly.
Johnson scored a try, set one up, booted a 80th-minute penalty to level the scores, and also drilled a sideline conversion.
Manly looked well on the road to coming away from Mt Smart with a precious victory, leading 16-0, then 22-10.
Willed on by their passionate home fans, the Warriors rallied. Neither side could score in golden point extra time with the competition points shared.
Flop: Ryan Fox’s third round
Ryan Fox’s stellar start to the Masters faded during his third round on Sunday (NZ time).
Fox started the day in a tie for eighth place, but had a frustrating third round at Augusta.
He fired a five-over 77 to leave him four-over, dropping to a tie for 26th place. The Kiwi began impressively with three straight birdies before running into trouble.
Fox had six bogeys in his round and also triple bogeyed the par four 17th, dubbed Nandina, after the oriental shrub.