Super Rugby Pacific round-up
TJ Perenara became the all-time top Super Rugby try scorer as his table topping Hurricanes demolished the Waratahs.
All Blacks scrum-half Perenara scored after the siren to round off a 41-12 victory and move clear atop of the competition’s try standings with 63.
Hurricanes’ unbeaten start to the season came to an end last weekend when they lost in Canberra to the Brumbies. They fielded a much-changed team on Friday – and were forced to call on their fourthstring hooker Kianu Kereru-Symes after a series of injuries – but made an emphatic return to form, scoring four tries through Billy Proctor, Brett Cameron, Josh Moorby and Brandon Iose to lead 26-0 after 27 minutes.
They added a fifth try on the hour mark through replacement winger Salesi Rayasi, and Rayasi scored again in the 70th minute. Between tries he left the field to receive treatment for a dislocated finger.
The Waratahs scored late tries to Vuate Karawalevu and Hugh Sinclair.
Hurricanes remain a point clear of the Auckland-based Blues atop the Super Rugby standings and captain Billy Proctor said: “Bouncing back from last week was pleasing. We came out and started the game really strong which was what we wanted.”
Winger Tim Ryan scored two tries to lift his tally to five in his last two matches as the Queensland Reds beat the Crusaders 33-28.
Ryan scored three tries last week in the Reds’ 41-34 loss to the Blues and added a double as the Reds came out on top against the defending champions.
The Reds led 21-7 after 42 minutes but the Crusaders stormed back. Ryan’s second try helped the Reds hold on for their first win in Christchurch in 25 years.
“It’s massive,” Reds captain Liam Wright said. “The boys banded together after a season full of close losses. We knew if we could take it to them early, they would come back but we did a great job to hold on. Some big moments there from key players.”
Wallabies back rower Fraser McReight was one of those players. He scored a try and provided the last pass for another in an outstanding performance.
Former Wales star Leigh Halfpenny had a chance to score his first points for the Crusaders in Super Rugby with an 11th-minute penalty. But the full-back, who scored more than 800 international points for Wales, hooked the ball well wide of the uprights from close range.
Halfpenny has had to wait until the 11th round to play his first Super Rugby match after suffering a serious chest injury in a pre-season game.
McReight’s try gave the Reds a 7-0 lead which became 14-0 after Ryan scored in the 26th minute. Crusaders hit back before half-time with a try to centre Dallas McLeod, who joined a blindside surge after a lineout drive. Halfpenny converted for his first points in Super Rugby.
The Reds scored a critical try two minutes after the break through one-Test All Blacks prop Jeff Toomaga-Allen. The match then opened up and the Crusaders scored through back rowers Corey Kellow and Quentin Strange to level the score at 21-21. No.8 Harry Wilson put the Reds ahead with a 62nd-minute try and Ryan’s second try stretched the Reds’ lead to 33-21.
Earlier, more than 10,000 people turned out in heavy rain in the Tonga capital Nuku’alofa to watch the Highlanders beat Moana Pasifika 28-17 in the first Super Rugby match played in the Pacific Island nation.
Tonga became the 11th country to host a Super Rugby match.
Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens scored two first-half tries for the Highlanders who led 19-17 at half-time. Both teams tried to play entertaining rugby in increasingly difficult conditions on a sodden field. Cameron Millar kicked four penalties, the only points of the second half.
The win keeps the Highlanders inside the top eight play-off zone while Moana Pasifika are beginning to slip from play-off contention.
The Blues secured a crucial bonus point win in their race to finish top after beating Melbourne Rebels 38-11. The scoreline doesn’t reflect the flow of the game as the Rebels controlled territory at times, only to hit a Blue wall once they hit the line.
Second row Sam Darry came on and scored a try double to blow out the scoreline, with the Blues surviving a yellow card to Harry Plummer for a high tackle.
The Blues ran in five tries to one, with All Black winger Mark Tele’a also finishing with a double.
The Chiefs demolished bottom side Western Force 56-7 with winger Daniel Rona grabbing a hat-trick, and Brumbies held off Fijian Drua 28-7, with Len Ikitau getting a try double.
