The Canterbury Crusaders ended the ACT Brumbies’ winning streak against teams from New Zealand when Scott Robertson’s side recorded a 37-26 victory in Canberra that put them level on points with the Australians in Super Rugby.
The Crusaders proved too good for a Brumbies side, which had notched up victories over the past three weeks against the Otago Highlanders, Wellington Hurricanes and Waikato Chiefs.
Irae Simone gave the Brumbies an early lead but Codie Taylor crossed the line before Sevu Reece, appearing in his 50th game of Super Rugby, was the fastest player to score 40 tries in the competition as the Crusaders took control.
Bryn Hall and Will Jordon added tries, while Richie Mo’unga’s kicks added 17 points to push him through the 1,000-point barrier of his career. The Crusaders now sit alongside the Brumbies on 43 points.
The pair are seven points behind the Auckland Blues after Leon MacDonald’s side sealed a 53-26 win over the Queensland Reds and the Brumbies will take on the leaders in their next game on Saturday.
“We obviously know the Blues are in good form, we just have to make sure we improve with mistakes and our physicality,” said Allan Alaalatoa of the Brumbies after the Crusaders’ defeat.
“We just have to make sure we’re aware of these insights and how to reverse that, because if we do the same thing next week, we’ll probably be in (the) same situation.”
The Blues secured their 11th consecutive win by beating the Reds at Eden Park, allowing MacDonald’s side to take a 17-point lead within the first 20 minutes.
Bryce Heem, Caleb Clarke and Soane Vikena each scored two tries as the Blues clinched the bonus point win.
Ardie Savea’s attempt in the 74th minute gave the Hurricanes a 22-18 win over the New South Wales Waratahs to move up to fourth place in the table, while the Fijian Drua beat Moana Pasifika 34-19 and the duel between the debutants won by Super Rugby.
Western Force came up short in a 61-10 win over the Highlanders, and Ollie Norris’ 79th-minute effort secured the Chiefs a 33-30 win over the Melbourne Rebels to put the New Zealanders in fourth place keep.
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