Super Rugby: Away wins for Highlanders, Stormers and Cheetahs

The Highlanders came from behind to beat the Crusaders in Christchurch while the Stormers and Cheetahs won in Australia.

Highlanders storm Christchurch

The Highlanders brought the Crusaders crashing down to earth after coming from behind to take their Super Rugby derby clash 25-20 in Christchurch.

The Dunedin side scored three tries in a 10-minute spell on either side of half-time as they rallied from 14-3 down.

Ben Smith’s 38th-minute score cut the Highlanders’ deficit to a point at the interval, and two tries in six minutes from wing Waisake Haholo ensured a first win at the Crusaders since 2008.

The Crusaders were comprehensive 52-8 winners over the Sharks last week and they started in similarly dominant fashion at AMI Stadium, racing into an early 14-3 lead.

A Lima Sopaga penalty opened the scoring but the hosts hit back through tries from Matt Todd and Jordan Taufua, with Nemani Nadolo providing the final pass for both scores.

Sopoaga spent 10 minutes in the sin-bin for a late charge on opposite number Colin Slade, but returned to kick a penalty which cut the lead to 14-6 and to both create and convert Smith's try, slashing the Crusaders' margin to a point at the break.

Naholo intercepted a loose pass from centre Kieron Fonotia to give the Highlanders the lead for the first time shortly after the restart, and his second try effectively shut the Crusaders out of the match.

Even with all their heavy artillery on the field for the final 25 minutes the Crusaders were kept out by the resolute Highlanders defence, and needed two penalties by Slade to get within bonus-point range.

Stormers upset rusty Waratahs

Springboks centre Damian de Allende helped himself to two tries as the Stormers upset the Waratahs 32-18 in Sydney.

De Allende scored his team's only try in the first half and broke the defending champions' hearts when he crossed again after the break at Allianz Stadium.

Kobus van Wyk and Cheslin Kolbe also scored tries to earn a valuable bonus point for the Stormers, who had lost their last three matches and were without influential captain Duane Vermeulen.

The Waratahs scored the opening try after 13 minutes when giant winger Taqele Naiyaravoro bulldozed past three defenders to touch down in the corner.

De Allende replied with a try for the Stormers but the Waratahs regained the lead on the stroke of half-time when Rob Horne crashed over and Bernard Foley converted from the sideline.

The Stormers dominated the second half, scoring three unanswered long-range tries, including a spectacular 95-metre effort when Kurt Coleman chip-kicked for Van Wyk to race away to the line.

De Jongh intercepted a Waratahs pass inside the Stormers half and sent De Allende away for this second touchdown before Kolbe sprinted 80 metres downfield to score after the Waratahs again coughed up possession.

Cheetahs best struggling Force

The Cheetahs ended a five-match losing streak with a hard-fought 24-15 win over the Western Force in Perth.

The South Africans scored 16 unanswered points after trailing 15-8 early in the second half to chalk up just their third win of the season, while the Force crashed to a seventh successive loss.

Cheetahs winger Raymond Rhule opened the scoring with a try in the sixth minute but the hosts quickly got back on terms when Luke Morahan crossed.

The Force led 10-8 at the interval and extended their advantage just after the restart when Chris Alcock scored off the back of a rolling maul.

However, the Cheetahs controlled the rest of the game. Fly-half Joe Pietersen, who kicked three penalties, a conversion and a drop goal for a personal haul of 14 points, kept the scoreboard ticking along for the visitors.

Flanker Heinrich Brussow sealed the Cheetahs' win with his team's second touchdown 13 minutes from time.

Lions sink the Sharks

The Lions racked up their second South African derby win in as many weeks with a 23-21 success over the Sharks at Ellis Park.

The home side trailed 14-6 down before debutant Howard Mnisi scored on the stroke of half-time, and then went over for two quick tries at the start of the second period to claim their fifth win in six games.

Defeat for the Sharks followed on their horror implosion at home last weekend when they were beaten 52-10 by the Crusaders.

They looked initially to have shrugged off that setback when Renaldo Bothma went over, spinning through two tackles following an initial break through the middle by Andre Esterhuizen.

Speedy winger Lwazi Mvovo then outran the Lions defence on 31 minutes to stretch their lead to eight points.

But the Lions rallied through Mnisi, and two tries in two minutes from Francois de Klerk and Harold Vorster early in the second half turned the scoreline around to 23-14.

The Sharks fought back with a try two minutes from the end from Thomas du Toit and could have won with the last kick of the game, but an ambitious penalty attempt from the halfway line by Fred Zelinga sailed wide.

Bulls crush hapless Reds

Francois Hougaard scored two tries as the Bulls claimed a 43-22 victory over the Reds at Loftus Versfeld.

Hougaard crossed either side of Pierre Spies' score to give the Pretoria-based side a 24-5 half-time lead, Lachie Turner with the Reds' try.

Will Genia and Nick Frisby narrowed the gap to seven points but - despite a further score from Marco Kotze - tries from Marcel van der Merwe, Burger Odendaal and Piet van Zyl took the Bulls out of reach.

Jacques-Louis Potgieter's early penalty put the hosts in front before Jesse Kriel's break set Hougaard away for his first try. Potgeiter's conversion made it 10-0 after seven minutes.

Turner halved the deficit from Frisby's pass but could not convert his own try and the Bulls took control before the break.

Spies scored in the 18th minute and Hougaard snatched possession for a try awarded after consultation with the television match official, Potgeiter accurate with both conversions.

The Queenslanders needed a hot start to the second half and they got it, with two tries in eight minutes. First Genia dummied his way through for a try converted by Turner and when Frisby scored three minutes later it was 24-17 despite Turner failing to split the posts.

But the comeback stalled - though there was controversy about the try that swung the momentum back the Bulls' way.

Van der Merwe went to touch down in the middle of a mass of bodies and, despite the possibility of a double movement as he strained for the line and a strong suggestion of another hand under the ball, TMO Shaun Veldsman awarded the try.

That gave the Bulls a bonus point, quickly matched by their opponents as Kotze finished off after Samu Kerevi's burst for the line.

That was 29-22 but with just over 20 minutes to go, Odendaal eluded Frisby to go over and Tian Schoeman took over kicking duties to stretch the advantage to 14.

And though Hougaard was stopped short of a hat-trick with 12 minutes to go, Piet van Zyl followed up to score and Schoeman again added the extras.