Aussie sides still alive as Waratahs stun Crusaders
THE WARATAHS produced a brilliant display to stun the Crusaders.
Dylan Piestch gave his side the lead with less than two minutes on the clock before his opposite winger Mark Nawaqanitawase also went over just after ten minutes to give the hosts the perfect start.
Going in at the break 17-0 down, the Crusaders finally got their first points through a penalty try from a driving maul before Sione Havili Talitui gave them hope with a smart finish. The Waratahs got a penalty try of their own and although Fletcher Newell struck late for the visitors, the hosts held on for a famous win.
Waratahs skipper Tane Edmed said: "I'm just lost for words to be honest, I don't know what to say.
"I’ve got 30 friends and family here, all these great teammates, and the fans have been outstanding, it's unbelievable.
“When you look at some of the stuff we endured last year when we didn’t win a game, we’ve installed a real belief in each other.”
Bryn Gatland inspired the Chiefs to victory over the Reds, as the substitute drove his side's attacking play and nailed every kick from the tee.
Moana Pasifika almost stole the headlines with a brave performance against the Melbourne Rebels, but a stunning breakaway try finished by Andrew Kellaway was enough to see the Victorians to a narrow win 26-22.
Western Force were edged out by the Blues courtesy of first half tries from Akira Ioane, AJ Lam and Sam Derry in what was a scrappy win for the top side. The Force had always been expected to lose their game against table toppers Blues, but the out-of-sorts Auckland side failed to score a point after the half hour and had to cling on in the end for their 22-18 away victory.
The Highlanders had to fight hard having trailed 21-10 at one point against Fijian Drua, before a Rhys Marshall try on the hour saw them edge to victory in a thrilling encounter to breathe new life into their play-off challenge.
The weekend of action concludes this morning, with the Brumbies knowing that a bonus-point win over the Hurricanes will be enough for them to return to top spot.