Crusaders topple Hurricanes while Brumbies hold off Bulls

There were wins for the Crusaders, Brumbies and Sharks in the opening matches of this weekend's Super Rugby action.

The Brumbies held off a spirited Bulls fightback to come out 22-16 victors in Canberra.

Jordan Smiler put the hosts 8-6 up at the break with a try in what was a game dominated by bruising defence from both sides. Two second-half efforts from Henry Speight then put the Brumbies comfortably in front, though a late comeback was launched by the Bulls who scored through loose forward Lappies Labuschagne in the 67th minute.

The Brumbies were able to hold out after the final score from Labuschagne, forcing the Bulls to settle for a losing bonus point.

The win puts the Brumbies at the top of the Australian conference, though their rivals the Waratahs can leapfrog them if they are able to beat the Lions at Ellis Park on Saturday.

The Bulls remain narrowly in contention for a play-off place, but cannot afford to drop points in either of their final two games.

Crusaders topple Hurricanes

The Crusaders exacted revenge on the Hurricanes with a 35-18 bonus-point victory in front of their home fans in Nelson.

The Crusaders lost to the Hurricanes earlier in the year but tries from Mitchell Drummond, Nafi Tuitavake, Matt Todd and Nemani Nadolo ensured that the Crusaders have kept their slim play-off hopes alive.

The Hurricanes scored two tries of their own through Dane Coles and Ardie Savea but it was not enough as they were outclassed by a superb Crusaders outfit, ably led by one of their star All Blacks.

Back in his preferred position of fly-half, Dan Carter was back to his sublime best as he kicked six goals from seven attempts for a personal haul of 15 points.

The Crusaders have now won seven out of their 14 games, and if they are able to beat the Brumbies and the Blues in their final two games they could avoid missing out on the play-offs for the first time since 2001.

Sharks end Rebels hopes

The Sharks provided a knockout blow to the Melbourne Rebel's Super Rugby playoff hopes with a 25-21 victory at King's Park.

The Rebels, who played for 52 minutes with 14 men after a red card for prop Laurie Weeks, have 31 points from their 14 matches and with two rounds remaining are now out of the running for a top-six place.

That hope had long disappeared for the Sharks, who have endured a dismal season but are at least providing a strong finish with back-to-back wins.

The Rebels' cause was not helped by the sending-off of Weeks on 28 minutes after he got involved in a scuffle with opposite number Jannie du Plessis, landing some punches. The latter got away with a yellow.

Wings Sibusiso Sithole and Lwazi Mvovo crossed the tryline for the Sharks, with replacement centre Heimar Williams grabbing their third score. Fly-half Lionel Cronje added two penalties and two conversions.

Rebels captain Scott Higginbotham was superb as he crossed for two tries and laid on a third for Bryce Hegarty, but could not claw his side over the line. Fly-half Jack Debreczeni converted their three tries.