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Kings of the heap Reds, Highlanders head Super 12 table
Posted: Sunday March 28, 1999 01:14 PM
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Queensland moved into first place alongside New Zealand's Otago after beating the Canterbury Crusaders 36-23 Saturday night in a Super 12 rugby union match. The win gives the Reds 18 points from four wins and a draw in their five matches. The Highlanders, who lost their first match in five on Friday when South African side Coastal Sharks beat them 32-8, also have 18 points, including two from bonus points for scoring four or more tries in two of their wins. In Bloemfontein, South Africa on Saturday, the Golden Cats came back from three consecutive losses to beat New Zealand's Wellington Hurricanes 43-27, giving South African sides wins in three of four matches they were involved in on the weekend. South Africa's Western Stormers handed New South Wales its first loss at home in nearly two years, beating the Blues 28-18 Friday. New South Wales is now in third place, two clear of the Sharks in fourth. At Christchurch, Chris Latham scored two tries and Queensland held off a second-half Canterbury rally. Damian Smith scored the other Queensland try while Nathan Spooner kicked five penalties and three converts. In another match Saturday, the ACT Brumbies ran in 10 unanswered tries to beat South Africa's Northern Bulls 73-9. Fullback Joe Roff scored 22 points for the Brumbies from two tries, two penalty goals and three conversions before limping off late in the game with what looked like a recurrence of an ankle injury. Wallaby halfback George Gregan and center Rod Kafer also scored two tries apiece. The Bulls have lost all five matches this season. ACT coach Eddie Jones said his team, under pressure after losing its first three matches had played well in the wet conditions at Bruce Stadium. "We were relentless," said Jones. "You would have thought that the game was played at three o'clock in the afternoon with a dry ball." On Friday night in Durban, the Sharks brought previously unbeaten Otago back down to earth. With the win, the Sharks established themselves as South Africa's premier Super 12 side. The "old firm" of fly-half Henry Honiball, lock Mark Andrews, No. 8 Gary Teichmann and fullback Andre Joubert was outstanding and at the heart of the winning effort. Robbie Fleck scored a pair of tries as the Stormers beat New South Wales. Stormers' coach Alan Solomons criticized the state of the Sydney Football Stadium playing surface, the subject of controversy since it was discovered parasites had been eating away the grass roots. "The field is an absolute shocker, it's a disgrace," said Solomons. Coming off a 37-15 beating by the Brumbies, the Stormers go back to South Africa happy after their run of five away matches. "We had a mission on our away leg to win three out of five and we've got three out of five," said Solomons. At Hamilton, New Zealand on Friday, Adrian Cashmore booted four penalty goals and two converts as the Auckland Blues beat the Waikato Chiefs 29-18. It was Auckland's first win in four matches, while Waikato lost its fourth in a row.
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