Australian teams, the ACT Brumbies and NSW Waratahs, are the only unbeaten DHL Super Rugby Pacific teams after the third-round games were completed at the weekend.
An injury-time try against the Blues made it three from three for the ACT Brumbies while the NSW Waratahs had a bye and have won both their games.
The ACT Brumbies are four points clear of the NSW Waratahs on the points table with the Chiefs third on eight points and the Hurricanes and Blues sharing fourth place on six points.
Round three results were:
Moana Pasifika 19 v Western Force 35
Moana Pasifika's hopes of a statement performance in Pukekohe were dealt an early blow by the Western Force. A clever double-round and a kick to the corner by visiting first five-eighths Ben Donaldson allowed wing Darby Lancaster to take advantage of a favourable bounce to step inside two defenders to open the scoring with a try after five minutes. Moana Pasifika employed their lineout for hooker Millennium Sanerivi to drive over for a 19th-minute try.
Tidying up a poorly-directed pass from inside, former All Black wing George Bridge showed his ability at centre, in the 30th minute, to pick up the ball and cut on a tangent to almost score beneath the posts. He didn’t see a tackler coming from behind, and the ball was dropped. But two minutes later, he again cut back, and while grounded short of the line, lock Darcy Swain picked up the ball and scored. And 57 seconds after the halftime hooter, Bridge got his try after a series of goal-line rucks.
Down 7-21, Moana Pasifika denied the Western Force through the third quarter, but after 62 minutes, there was no denying the Force’s lineout maul with flanker Carlo Tizzano getting the try. The same formula in the 69th minute resulted in Argentine hooker Leonel Oviedo scoring. A 75th-minute tap penalty stretched the Western Force defence, and replacement halfback Melani Matavao wormed his way through to score for the home team. Another tap penalty provided the impetus for lock Allan Craig to score after standing off on the blindside of a run, but they were only consolation tries.
Moana Pasifika 19 (Millennium Sanerivi, Melani Matavao, Allan Craig tries; Patrick Pellegrini con; Jackson Garden-Bachop con)
Western Force 35 (Darby Lancaster, Darcy Swain, George Bridge, Carlo Tizzano, Leonel Oviedo tries; Ben Donaldson 5 con). HT: 7-21
Queensland Reds 31 v Highlanders 14
Avoiding missed opportunities was the Highlanders' mantra before their game against the Queensland Reds in Brisbane, but three minutes into the game, a missed chance occurred when lock Will Stodart was held up over the line, and a chance after a clever 50:22 kick executed by hooker Jack Taylor was lost after a handling error at the resulting lineout. They proved costly when the Reds ran ball in the 18th minute with skipper and flanker Fraser McReight following through on a kick ahead to win the race to score. That was extended six minutes later when the Reds maul gave hooker Matt Faessler the easiest of run-ins to score.
But in the 30th minute, after Taylor sniped from a ruck, he found halfback Adam Lennox in support, and he beat the defence to score. But the Reds responded when centre Josh Flook’s slightly delayed pass gave flanker Joe Brial a gap and space to pass on to wing Tim Ryan, who scored.
A charging run for a try under the posts by No8 Lucas Casey in the 52nd minute reduced the halftime deficit of 7-19 by seven. However, the Reds got into the Highlanders’ 22m area and, taking a quick lineout, they created a chance for lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto to capitalise with a try. Into the final quarter, solid Highlanders’ defence was broken when a grubber kick to the goalmouth was not controlled, and Reds replacement loose forward Vaiuta Latu was on hand to grab the ball and score.
Reds 31 (Fraser McReight, Matt Faessler, Tim Ryan, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Vaiuta Latu tries; Louis Werchon 2 con; Jock Campbell con)
Highlanders 14 (Jack Taylor, Lucas Casey tries; Cameron Millar 2 con). HT: 19-7
Fijian Drua 25 v Hurricanes 20
Playing on a Lautoka pitch more akin to a heavy mid-winter ground, the Hurricanes responded to a Drua penalty goal by making maximum use of a tap penalty by centre Billy Proctor to take play to the goalmouth before the ball was released to the backs, where wing Fehi Fineanganofo was on the end of first five-eighths Callum Harkin’s long pass to score in the 12th minute.
In the 25th minute, the Hurricanes' lineout maul drove flanker Peter Lakai across for their second try. Drua kick-and-chase tactics five minutes later left the Hurricanes' defenders unable to contain the ball, and by maintaining momentum, flanker Motikiai Murray went over beside the posts to score. Responding through their lineout maul, five metres out, the Hurricanes drove before releasing the ball with second five-eighths Jordie Barrett’s lob pass finding Proctor, who scored.
Barrett opened the second-half scoring with a booming 52m penalty goal in the 49th minute. However, a moment later, fullback Josh Moorby secured a Drua high kick only to have his pass to support intercepted by centre Tuidraki Samusamuvodre to run in beneath the bar with the conversion levelling the score at 20-20. Then, in defiance of the conditions, the Drua launched a thrilling passing movement, transferring the ball across the field with long passes to find flanker Etonia Waqa on the left wing with space to run in the match-winning try.
Drua 25 (Motikiai Murray, Tuidraki Samusamuvodre, Etonia Waqa tries; Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula 2 con, 2 pen)
Hurricanes 20 (Fehi Fineanganofo, Peter Lakai, Billy Proctor tries; Jordie Barrett con, pen). HT: 13-17
Chiefs 33 v Crusaders 43
Priming their fans with two tries in the first nine minutes, the Chiefs looked set for a big night as second five-eighths Quinn Tupaea scored after six minutes while fullback Etene Nanai-Seturo completed a length-of-the-field try two minutes later.
However, the Crusaders set to their work and got on the board courtesy of good support play from hooker George Bell, who was rewarded with his try at the end of the first quarter. But rival hooker Samisoni Taukei’aho got another back for his side two minutes later. Once finding their attacking touch, the Crusaders launched determined assaults, crossing for tries in the 26th and 29th minutes to halfback Noah Hotham and No8 Christian Lio-Willie. A penalty goal to first five-eighths Taha Kemara gave the visitors a 24-21 lead at the break.
Play was torrid as last year’s finalists went at it with high intensity through the first 10 minutes of the second half, but after 52 minutes, Lio-Willie scored a second. Then, going into the final quarter, a searing break, and a long pass to the flank, by fullback Will Jordan, resulted in skipper and second five-eighths David Havili extending the lead with a try out wide. The Crusaders capped that in the 67th minute when, from a scrum in their 22m, Kemara kicked to halfway where the bounce favoured wing Chay Fihaki. Running onto the ball gave him the impetus to take him clear of the defence. Kemara took the ball in support, and from the goal-line tackle on him, it was Lio-Willie who picked up and drove over to score.
Chiefs 33 (Quinn Tupaea, Eteni Nanai-Seturo, Samisoni Taukei’aho, Tupou Vaa’i, Emoni Narawa tries; Josh Jacomb 4 con)
Crusaders 43 (George Bell, Noah Hotham, Christian Lio-Willie 3, David Havili tries; Taha Kemara 4 con, pen; Chay Fihaki con). HT: 21-24
ACT Brumbies 30 v Blues 27
Opportunistic tries apiece marked the start of a tight contest at GIO Stadium in Canberra between the Brumbies and Blues. A blocked grubber kick from Blues fullback Zarn Sullivan was kicked downfield by prop James Slipper, with home first five-eighths Declan Meredith fastest to the ball. He toed it ahead, got the bounce and opened the scoring with his try after eight minutes.
Five minutes later, as the Brumbies backs swung into action, a wayward pass fell to Blues wing Caleb Clarke, who romped 45m to level the score. The Brumbies lineout force got to work for hooker Billy Pollard’s try. Then, flanker Anton Segner set play in motion from a lineout, and after Clarke regained the ball from a box kick, Segner carried forward before centre AJ Lam charged onto ruck ball to drive over to level the scores. Scrum penalties were a frustration for the Blues, with prop Ofa Tu’ungafasi a constant target for referee Angus Gardner.
The Blues looked more in control in the second half, claiming the lead through a well-taken Clarke try, resulting from a quick lineout throw by Christie. Sullivan ran back a Meredith kick to unleash replacement wing Codemeru Vai on an impressive run. When he was tackled the ball was moved to match centurion and flanker Dalton Papali’i, who scored in the opposite corner. But 10 minutes from the end, first five-eighths Stephen Perofeta was sin-binned and from a lineout close to the Blues line, replacement loose forward Luke Reimer scored for the Brumbies. With a four-point lead, the Blues closed up shop with mauling set-ups. A penalty was conceded, and the Brumbies swept downfield. In the second minute of injury time, and after a multitude of goal-line rucks, No8 Charlie Cale touched the ball on the goal-line chalk to steal the win for the home team.
Brumbies 30 (Declan Meredith, Billy Pollard, Luke Reimer, Charlie Cale tries; Ryan Lonergan 2 con, 2 pen)
Blues 27 (Caleb Clarke 2, AJ Lam, Dalton Papali’i tries; Stephen Perofeta 2con, pen). HT: 15-15