Sunday 27 May 2018 21:25, UK
Brumbies defy odds to beat Bulls 38-28, Lions sink 14-man Stormers 26-23, Otago leave it late to overcome Reds 18-15 while Waikato down Waratahs 39-27.
Tom Banks scored a superb solo try as 14-man ACT Brumbies defied their lowly Super Rugby position by beating Northern Bulls 38-28 in Pretoria Saturday.
But while Brumbies triumphed despite a red card, Western Stormers could not match them, losing 26-23 to Golden Lions in Cape Town after having a player sent off.
In other round 15 matches, Lima Sopoaga kicked a late penalty to earn Otago Highlanders an 18-15 win over Queensland Reds in Brisbane and Waikato Chiefs downed NSW Waratahs 39-27 in Hamilton.
But first to Pretoria where full-back Banks struck after 71 minutes, evading four Bulls' players in a run from deep inside his half to dot down for Brumbies, who began the match second last in the 15 team overall standings.
Substitute, Wharenui Hawera, converted for a 31-28 lead and Andrew Muirhead scored to seal a courageous victory for the Canberra outfit.
Brumbies were reduced to 14 men on 62 minutes when hooker Folau Fainga'a was dismissed for head-butting replacement Matthys Basson.
It was the second successive weekend that the Australian side finished a man short after lock, Rory Arnold, was sent off against Golden Lions in Johannesburg.
Bulls led 14-10 at half-time in a lively match with both teams enjoying spells of supremacy. Man-of-the-match Banks said: "We retained belief that we could win by sticking to our game plan even when reduced to 14 men."
In Cape Town, Lions stretched their South Africa conference lead over Jaguares to six points after scraping home against Stormers, who had Raymond Rhule sent off on 51 minutes.
Rhule tackled rival winger Ruan Combrinck late, striking him in the face with his elbow, leaving over-worked referee Nick Briant with no option but to flash a red card.
Lions, who trailed 17-7 at half-time in a tense but scrappy match, struggled to take advantage of having an extra player and were one point behind with four minutes left.
Then, Democratic Republic of Congo-born winger Madosh Tambwe scored in the corner and Elton Jantjies converted to give Lions only a fifth win in 17 clashes with Stormers.
"We are grateful for the points because it is never easy to win in Cape Town. Character and patience were key factors for us," said Lions skipper Franco Mostert.
In Brisbane, the Reds and the Highlanders were locked at 15-15 after a torrid arm-wrestle between evenly matched sides when lock Izack Rodda was penalised for a high tackle in front of the posts.
Sopoaga stepped up and made no mistake to give the visitors their first win in Brisbane in five matches.
"In phases we did some good stuff, but we also did some stuff that let us down, as we've done all season, but I'll take that win any day of the week," Highlanders captain Ash Dixon said.
Sopoaga and scrum-half Kayne Hammington put the Reds under enormous pressure with their kicking from general play.
Both sides scored two tries apiece, one in each half, with Sopoaga's late penalty proving the difference.
"I think we did everything we could to lose that in the back end of the match," a frustrated Reds captain Scott Higginbotham said. "It was just a case of too many simple errors."
In Hamilton, a late try by Damian McKenzie sealed a bonus-point victory for Chiefs over Waratahs.
The crucial McKenzie try, his second in the match, came after the final hooter when Waratahs were desperately trying to haul in a five-point deficit.
There were nine tries in the high-paced game, six to Chiefs, who led 19-14 at half-time and now move to fifth in the overall ladder.
Waratahs, denied a bonus point by McKenzie's late try, were left clinging to a one-point lead over Melbourne Rebels in the Australian conference.
