The Canterbury Crusaders stacked up their 10th-straight win as New Zealand continued on a Super Rugby rampage at the weekend, leaving South African and Australian teams scattered in their wake. The unbeaten seven-time champion Crusaders, even without key All Black forwards Kieran Read and Sam Whitelock, minced South Africa’s Northern Bulls 62-24 in Pretoria to … Read more
Jaguares of Argentina snapped a four-match losing streak with a come-from-behind 46-39 victory over Sunwolves of Japan Saturday in a Super Rugby try fest. The hosts turned a 39-27 deficit 14 minutes from time into a seven-point victory thanks to tries from Matias Alemanno, Agustin Creevy and Matias Moroni. Jaguares scored seven tries and Sunwolves … Read more
South Africa’s red-hot Golden Lions posted their biggest win in Australia with a thumping 47-10 Super Rugby victory over the Melbourne Rebels in Melbourne on Saturday. The Johannesburg-based Lions hammered the hapless Rebels seven tries to one for their seventh straight win in this season’s competition. The Lions, losing finalists to the Wellington Hurricanes last … Read more
The front-running Canterbury Crusaders have decided against appealing captain Sam Whitelock’s Super Rugby suspension and will take on the Northern Bulls on Saturday without two senior All Blacks. In addition to losing Whitelock, who copped a two-week ban for striking an opponent during last week’s 48-21 win over the Central Cheetahs, the Crusaders will also … Read more
Dane Coles is the latest All Black battling fitness issues ahead of the British and Irish Lions tour, with the Wellington Hurricanes revealing Wednesday that the hooker has concussion symptoms. Coles has not taken the field since he injured his knee when the Hurricanes played the Highlanders on March 18, then strained a calf muscle … Read more
Sunwolves winger Jamie-Jerry Taulagi was banned for five weeks Monday after pleading guilty to a dangerous tackle during the weekend’s tense Super Rugby loss to the Waikato Chiefs. Taulagi was shown a red card for a shoulder charge targeting the head of Chiefs outside back Shaun Stevenson in the dying moments of the match in … Read more
The unbeaten Canterbury Crusaders won a ninth Super Rugby game this weekend, but the result was soured by an injury to All Blacks skipper Kieran Read. The rampaging Crusaders squashed the threatened South African team Central Cheetahs 48-21 in Bloemfontein to stretch their lead in the New Zealand conference to four points, but they could … Read more
The All Blacks were Sunday sweating on the availability of captain Kieran Read for the looming British and Irish Lions series after the backrower suffered a broken thumb. Read left the field just before half-time during the Canterbury Crusaders’ 48-21 victory over the Central Cheetahs in Bloemfontein. The bonus point win kept the unbeaten Crusaders … Read more
A controversially disallowed try helped Canterbury Crusaders beat Central Cheetahs 48-21 Saturday and extend a winning run to nine matches since the Super Rugby season began. The South Africans believed they scored three minutes before half-time through winger Sergeal Petersen only for the try to be disallowed because of a forward pass. Television match official … Read more
Staging home Test matches abroad is among the options South African rugby bosses are considering in a bid to make the national body profitable again. Dwindling sponsorship in a harsh economic climate, rising costs and helping fund 14 professional provincial teams were among the reasons for the deficit. A 130 million rand reduction in sponsorship … Read more
Auckland Blues hardman Jerome Kaino has joined a growing list of All Blacks sidelined by injury as the Super Rugby competition takes its toll ahead of the British and Irish Lions tour. Kaino is to undergo surgery on an injured knee on Friday and will be out of action for six weeks, putting him in … Read more
The Canterbury Crusaders remained unbeaten as New Zealand teams dominated Super Rugby this weekend ahead of June’s British and Irish Lions tour. The seven-time champions smashed leading South African contenders Western Stormers 57-24 in Christchurch as Kiwi teams won all four of their encounters. George Bridge claimed a hat-trick and Kieran Read added a double … Read more
Sam Whitelock has given the All Blacks and his unbeaten Canterbury Crusaders side a boost ahead of their toughest test of the Super Rugby season against Western Stormers this weekend. Double World Cup winner Whitelock, New Zealand’s most capped lock with 84 Test appearances, Thursday signed a new deal to stay with the Crusaders and … Read more
New Zealand’s Canterbury Crusaders are the only unbeaten team left in Super Rugby after the Golden Lions ended the Western Stormers’ winning start to the season this weekend. The Johannesburg-based Lions downed the Stormers in a bonus-point 29-16 win in Cape Town while seven-time champions the Crusaders crushed Japan’s Sunwolves 50-3 in Christchurch. The Waikato … Read more
Fly-half Handre Pollard booted 16 points as Northern Bulls snapped a three-loss Super Rugby run by defeating Jaguares of Argentina 26-13 in Pretoria Saturday. The Springbok fly-half converted tries by winger Trevor Ismaiel and lock Lood de Jager and slotted four penalties in a flawless goal-kicking performance. Fly-half Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias converted a try by … Read more
The Western Stormers square off against the Golden Lions in a blockbuster South African derby while Crusaders prop Wyatt Crockett sets a match record in Super Rugby this weekend. The Canterbury Crusaders and Stormers are the only unbeaten sides remaining going into round eight of the competition, which next year will revert to a 15-team … Read more
New Zealand Rugby (NZR) compared the vitriol surrounding Sonny Bill Williams’ religious objections to wearing a banking logo with homophobia on Thursday, urging fans to respect the All Black star’s beliefs. Williams, a devout Muslim, appeared for the Auckland Blues last weekend with the Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) logo on his shirt collar blocked … Read more
All Blacks star Sonny Bill Williams was given permission Wednesday to wear a special Auckland Blues jersey with no bank advertisements in line with his religious beliefs, after he covered a sponsor’s logo at the weekend. Williams, a devout Muslim, appeared for the Blues during Saturday’s loss to the Otago Highlanders with the Bank of … Read more
RugbyWA has launched legal action against the Australian Rugby Union in a bid to keep threatened Super franchise Western Force afloat as the axe hovers over the club. A writ against the governing body was lodged on Monday evening, Western Australia’s rugby body said, notifying the ARU of the intention to apply for an injunction … Read more
New Zealand’s prime minister on Monday criticised All Blacks star Sonny Bill Williams’ decision to block out a sponsor’s logo on his shirt apparently for religious reasons. Williams appeared for the Auckland Blues during Saturday’s loss to the Otago Highlanders with the Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) logo taped over on his collar. New Zealand … Read more