Sunday 9 June 2019 00:05, UK
A recap of Saturday's Super Rugby action as the Crusaders, Brumbies and Hurricanes beat the Rebels, Waratahs and Lions.
Wingers Braydon Ennor and Seevu Reece both scored hat-tricks as the defending Super Rugby champions assured themselves of the top seeding in the play-offs by handing the Rebels their heaviest-ever Super Rugby defeat.
Full-back David Havili scored two tries while Bryn Hall and Ryan Crotty, in his 150th game, also crossed for the Crusaders, who moved to 58 points and cannot be caught in the table even though they have a bye for next week's final round of matches.
The Crusaders, who will host the eighth-placed team in the quarter-finals in two weeks and enjoy home advantage throughout the play-offs, will remain heavy title favourites on the back of this performance.
The Brumbies hit the Waratahs with a four-try blitz in 18 first-half minutes on their way to an emphatic victory that secured them the Super Rugby Australian conference title.
The twice Super Rugby champions are now assured of a home quarter-final in two weeks' time, while the Waratahs could still take a mathematical chance of making the play-offs into their final regular-season clash against the Highlanders.
Lock Rory Arnold, winger Andy Muirhead, centre Irae Simone and hooker Folau Fainga'a all crossed in quick succession from the 15th minute and fly-half Christian Lealiifano converted all four tries to give the visitors a 28-3 half-time lead.
Scrum-half Nick Phipps, evergreen centre Adam Ashley-Cooper and winger Curtis Rona crossed in the second half for the Waratahs but the hosts had too steep a hill to climb to get back into the contest after leaking so many points before the break.
A second-half blitz ensured the Hurricanes will have home advantage in the quarter-finals of the play-offs as Ben Lam and Dane Coles both scored twice for a fifth away win of the season for the Wellington team.
Ngani Laumape also notched up a try at Ellis Park in Johannesburg to give the Canes an early lead but Aphiwe Dyantyi scored soon after to level matters and the game was evenly balanced at 10-10 at the break.
Then Lam and Coles led the way with a double each as the Hurricanes outmuscled their hosts.
Dyantyi managed another consolation try for the Lions, who are now in danger of missing out on the play-offs after being runners-up the last three years.
The injury-hit Stormers outscored the bottom-of-the-table Sunwolves four tries to two but missed out on a potentially vital bonus point on Saturday as they kept alive their hopes of a place in the post-season playoffs.
Bongi Mbonami, on his return from injury, and Craig Barry, in his first game of the season, scored tries for the Cape Town team as they led 14-6 at the break.
The Stormers went further ahead through Jaco Coeztee's 52nd- minute try try but the Tokyo side struck back through fullback Semisi Masirewa.
Coetzee got a second try to put the Stormers in bonus-point range with eight minutes left only for Masirewa to strike again for the visitors and keep the Stormers' haul to four points.
Emiliano Boffelli scored a try in each half as the Jaguares clinched the South African conference title and earned a home quarter-final with a victory over the Sharks in Buenos Aires.
Winger Sebastian Cancelliere also scored two tries - one set up by a brilliant jinking run by Boffelli.
Santiago Carreras crossed in the final minute for the home side, whose victory ensured that all four hosts for the quarter-finals were decided with one week left in the regular season.
Centre Andre Esterhuizen scored a late consolation try for the Sharks, with Curwin Bosch's 69th-minute conversion the first shot at goal the visitors had.
