Saturday 16 February 2019 21:24, UK
Crusaders see off a determined Blues side, the Sharks hammer the Sunwolves, the Hurricanes pip the Waratahs and the Bulls brush aside the Stormers in Round 1 of Super Rugby on Saturday.
Winger Manasa Mataele scored two tries, while referee Nick Briant awarded two penalty tries as the Crusaders began their quest for a 10th Super Rugby title with a win over the Blues at Eden Park.
The Blues could have snatched a late victory but replacement fly-half Harry Plummer missed a long-range penalty with less than three minutes remaining, shortly after he had also missed a much easier conversion.
Briant awarded a penalty try in each half as the Crusaders' All Blacks forwards asserted their dominance over the Blues, who were unexpectedly competitive for much of the match but buckled at crucial moments.
Sharks hooker Akker van der Merwe scored two tries as they cruised to a comfortable victory over the Sunwolves in Singapore.
The Durban-based side ran in six tries in total as their mix of pace and power proved too much for the Sunwolves, who had won their previous three home games at the tail-end of last season.
No 8 Daniel du Preez, wings Sibusiso Nkosi and Makazole Mapimpi, and centre Jeremy Ward also crossed the tryline for the visitors.
The Sunwolves battled with the set-pieces all game after being given early hope when South African-born centre Shane Gates scored their only try of the game.
The Wellington Hurricanes held on for a one-point victory over the Waratahs, aided by a late penalty miss by Bernard Foley for the home side.
Foley, who had earlier become the leading points scorer in Super Rugby for the Waratahs, surpassing the previous mark of 959 held by Matt Burke, missed a penalty from almost directly in front with two minutes remaining.
The fly-half kicked 14 points to go with a try for wing Curtis Rona as the Waratahs took aim at a third successive home win against New Zealand opposition.
But persistent penalties cost them and the Hurricanes were able to score tries through Ardie Savea and debutant loose-forward Du'Plessis Kirifi, with Jordie Barrett adding 10 points from the boot.
Sevens veteran Rosko Specman scored a brace of tries on debut as the Bulls brushed aside a Stormers team that forced a 20-minute delay to the start of the game after their bus was caught in traffic.
The Bulls were ferocious in their tackling and showed more intensity than their out-gunned opponents, putting in an impressive defensive effort with Springbok No 8 Duane Vermeulen leading from the front.
The Stormers lost captain Siya Kolisi in the 27th minute after he failed a head injury assessment, by which time the visitors were already 21-3 down.
Wing Johnny Kotze and centre Jesse Kriel scored the other tries for the home side, while fly-half Handre Pollard contributed 20 points with the boot and controlled the tempo of the game with his tactical kicking.
