Super Rugby Wrap: Reports, Results, Standings & Highlights
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Round four of Super Rugby Trans Tasman saw an Australian side claim another Kiwi scalp as the Brumbies held out for a 12-10 win over the Hurricanes.
For the rest of the Australian sides it was a tough weekend with the Kiwi sides winning the other four games.
We round up the weekend's action.
The Standings
Click on the headlines to see the stats from the respective encounters.
Super Rugby Aotearoa champions the Crusaders, who also made it four wins from four by defeating the Western Force 29-21 in Christchurch.
Scott Robertson's side were made to work hard for the victory after falling behind to Toni Pulu's well-taken try inside the opening four minutes.
Manasa Mataele finished soon after and Will Jordan slid over to complete a quickfire turnaround for the Crusaders, who went further ahead thanks to Whetu Douglas.
Ollie Callan's score from close range looked to have given the Force some hope, only for Sione Havili to cross the whitewash after the half-time hooter had sounded.
Jordan got his second of the game to give the Crusaders a 15-point lead and they stayed strong at the back until the final seconds.
Jordan Olowofela chased down Kyle Godwin's kick and went over, denying the Crusaders a bonus point in the process.
The Blues beat the Reds 31-24 in Brisbane on Friday to stay top of the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman table.
Leon MacDonald's side have now won four out of four in the competition, though they were denied a precious bonus point at Suncorp Stadium against the injury-plagued Reds.
Harry Wilson found a gap to score the opening try of the match for the home team, but Brandon Paenga-Amosa's yellow card for collapsing a maul proved to be a turning point.
Dalton Papalii and winger Mark Telea crossed over for the Blues in the space of seven minutes as MacDonald's charges took full advantage of the one-man advantage.
Patrick Tuipulotu and Finlay Christie were next to dot down for the leaders, either side of Paenga-Amosa's try, to give their side a 17-point advantage.
The Reds made a fight of it late on when a crosskick sent Filipo Daugunu over, soon followed by a successful penalty from the Fiji-born winger, but the comeback fell just short.
Highlanders 59-23 NSW Waratahs
A ruthless Highlanders team, thrashed a struggling Waratahs side 59-23 to sit in second place - a point behind the Blues and ahead of the Crusaders on points difference.
They ran away with it in the second half, scoring 26 points without reply after going in at the interval with a 33-23 advantage.
There were doubles for Ethan de Groot and Jona Nareki in a nine-try rout, while Mitch Hunt booted 14 points.
The Brumbies secured only a second win for an Australian franchise in Super Rugby Trans-Tasman, stunning the Hurricanes.
Jordie Barrett missed two late penalties as the Hurricanes lost their 100 per cent Super Rugby Trans-Tasman record, slipping to a 12-10 defeat. The Hurricanes' hopes of reaching the final were rocked at GIO Stadium, where the Brumbies held on to secure their first win of the competition on Saturday.
Brumbies scrum-half Ryan Lonergan crossed for the opening try in Canberra, but Jason Holland's side led 10-7 at half-time courtesy of a Dane Coles score and five points from the boot of Barrett. Len Ikitau put the Brumbies back in front with their second try 12 minutes after the break and the visitors had a late Alex Fidow try ruled out for a knock-on.
Barrett was then off target with a penalty from the halfway line in the closing stages and the New Zealand international was unable to win it from the tee with the last kick of the game. A second victory for an Australian franchise in the tournament leaves the beaten Hurricanes in fourth place and looking likely to miss out on a place in the final, with just one game of the regular season to come, which is against the Reds next Friday.
The Chiefs claimed four points to remain within reach of the top two ahead of the final round of Super Rugby Trans-Tasman fixtures.
The Chiefs won 36-26 over the Rebels but missed out on the bonus point they craved to keep alive their realistic Super Rugby Trans-Tasman final hopes at Leichhardt Oval in Sydney on Sunday.
The Hamilton-based side needed a bonus-point victory against the winless Rebels to have any firm confidence in overcoming top pair the Blues and the Highlanders ahead of the final round of fixtures next weekend and raced to a three-try lead in the first half.
Anton Lienert-Brown crossed twice, including a superb 20th-minute solo try, with fly-half Kaleb Trask also touching down for the Chiefs inside the first 25 minutes to open up a 19-0 lead.
The Rebels showed fight to respond with three tries of their own before half-time, with a double from forward Isi Naisarani and one from Stacey Ili squaring the game up at the break.
Chase Tiatia came off the bench to score a second-half double, while Trask got his second for the Chiefs in the 52nd minute.
Winger Andrew Kellaway crossed for the Rebels who had a 70th minute George Worth try disallowed for obstruction.
The result moves the Chiefs to 14 points ahead of their final-round game against Waratahs, with the Blues and the Highlanders in the top two spots on 19 and 18 points respectively. The Rebels remain winless.
