Saturday 5 May 2018 21:40, UK
Round-ups and highlights from all the weekend's Super Rugby games from around the southern hemisphere.
Two tries inside the opening seven minutes laid the platform for a comprehensive bonus-point victory for South Africa's Sharks over New Zealand's Highlanders in Durban on Saturday.
Fly-half Robert du Preez scored 18 points for the home side, including a try, to go with scores from prop Akker van der Merwe, wings Makazole Mapimpi and Sibusiso Nkosi, and No 8 Daniel du Preez.
It was an error-strewn performance from the Highlanders, who had won their previous five matches in South Africa but battled to contain the powerful forwards of the Sharks as they slipped to a third loss of the campaign.
Their scores in either half came via flank Dillon Hunt and centre Teihorangi Walden.
The Stormers kept their play-off hopes alive with victory in a pulsating South African derby at Newlands on Saturday.
The home side dominated in the scrums, providing a platform for tries by fly-half Damian Willemse, prop Wilco Louw, full-back SP Marais and hooker Ramone Samuels.
The improving Bulls showed enough quality to stay in the game until the final 15 minutes as they crossed the try-line via lock Lood de Jager and flank Jason Jenkins, but were second-best at the set-piece to slip to a sixth defeat of the season.
The Stormers maintain their 100 per cent home record this campaign and move to within nine points of South African Conference leaders, the Lions, after 11 matches.
The Blues held off a late Waratahs onslaught to secure a hard-fought victory at Brookvale Oval and extend New Zealand's grip over Australia in Super Rugby to 38 matches, stretching back nearly two years.
Centre Rieko Ioane and winger Tumua Manu scored tries to help the visitors to a 18-14 half-time and fly-half Stephen Perofeta converted the first of them before adding four penalties to secure victory.
The Waratahs had tries from props Damien Fitzpatrick and Sekope Kepu in the first half with a third 10 minutes from time from skipper Michael Hooper giving them hope of stealing the match.
The Blues held out with some obdurate defending, though, to ensure they would not be the first New Zealand side to lose to Australian opposition since the Waratahs thrashed the Waikato Chiefs 45-25 in week 14 of the competition in 2016.
Prolific try scorer Ben Lam scored a hat-trick as the Hurricanes earned a measure of revenge for their defeat in last year's Super Rugby semi-finals with a comfortable win over South African conference leaders the Lions.
Lam took his season tally to 13 tries and Ardie Savea also crossed for the 2016 title winners, who failed to secure the bonus point and sit two points behind competition leaders and reigning champions Canterbury Crusaders in the standings.
The Lions, runners-up in the last two seasons of Super Rugby, had tries from scrum-half Nic Groom and flanker Marnus Schoeman either side of the break and another from replacement winger Sylvian Mahuza five minutes from time.
The visitors suffered a double blow as early as the eighth minute when hooker Malcolm Marx limped off with a knee injury and Lam, the latest powerful winger off the New Zealand production line, scored the opening try for the Hurricanes.
The Jaguares won a team-record fourth game in succession to finish their tour of Australia and New Zealand in style by upsetting the Chiefs in Rotorua on Friday.
A first-half try to winger Ramiro Moyano and a penalty try after the break were enough for the in-form Argentines to win their first match against the home side and finish their tour with a perfect 4-0 record.
Forced into a late reshuffle by two injuries, the Chiefs were kept try-less until rookie loose forward Jesse Parete crossed after the final hooter. They were down to 13 men early in the second half after lock Michael Allardice and Liam Messam were yellow-carded in quick succession.
The Jaguares grabbed their sixth win of the season and another confidence boost in the run to the playoffs.
Hooker Andrew Makalio scored two tries as the Crusaders posted their biggest win in Australia and destroyed the Rebels after half-time at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium on Friday.
Makalio crossed over in both halves and the visitors grabbed further tries from Seta Tamanivalu, Jack Goodhue, Peter Samu, Bryn Hall, Wyatt Crockett and Manasa Mataele.
The Crusaders maintained their grip on top spot of the New Zealand conference and extended the nation's winning streak over Australian teams in Super Rugby to 37 matches.
The Rebels trailed by only 13-10 at halftime, but were obliterated after the interval to lose their fifth game in succession. A serious knee injury to scrumhalf Will Genia further compounded a sour evening.
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