A brace of tries from hard running Hurricanes back Ma’a Nonu pushed him to the top of the Super 14 try scorers (with seven tries), as he helped his team back into the competition’s top four over the weekend.
The Hurricanes and Stormers both pushed their semi-final credentials with fine wins in the latest round of Super 14 action. The Hurricanes (3) 38-12 demolition of the Lions in Wellington and the Stormers (4) morale boosting 20-10 win over the Brumbies pushed them into the top four at the expense of the Sharks and Chiefs, who both lost crucial games.
The Sharks went down to competition leaders the Crusaders 18-10 in a hard fought encounter in Christchurch while the Chiefs were upset 22-21 by a fired up Force team in Perth.
The weekend’s results ensures the Crusaders will play at home for their semi-final(and final if they win that), while the second placed Waratahs are on shaky ground now after going down to the Bulls 13-16 in Pretoria. The loss broke their five match winning streak but more importantly it means they cannot lose their remaining two matches if they want a home semi. A loss to either the Stormers in Cape Town and the Reds in Brisbane in the final two rounds could even see them miss the semis altogether as the battle for the top four heats up.
The Brumbies loss to the Stormers mean their chances are all but dashed but still they pose a mathematical chance, as do the Blues, who showed glimpses they were back to their best in a 35-22 win over the Reds in humid Brisbane.
Tongan halfback Taniela Moa was inspirational for the Blues playing a hand in many of their tries. Jerome Kaino was the pick of the forwards running hard all night. The news of coach David Nucifora’s pending return to Australia seems to have galvanised the dormant Blues into action as has the return of Isa Nacewa to his rightful position at flyhalf.
And though their playoff chances are already gone, the Highlanders pulled off their second victory of the competition with a 31-28 win over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein. Aaron Bancroft’s two tries helped the southerners to a win that pushes them to 12th place ahead of the South African strugglers Cheetahs and Lions.
Round 12 Results
Crusaders 18-10 Sharks in Christchurch
Crusaders: Tries: Crockett; Somerville; Cons: Brett; Pens: Brett (2);
Sharks: Tries: Kankowski; Cons: Kockott; Pens: Kockott;
Reds 22-35 Blues in Brisbane
Reds: Tries: Croft; Humphries; Hynes; Cons: Schifcofske (2);
Pens: Schifcofske;
Blues: Tries: Haiu; Kaino; Moa; Nacewa; Cons: Evans (3); Pens: Evans (3);
Cheetahs 28-31 Highlanders in Bloemfontein
Cheetahs: Tries: Duncan; Jonker; Scholtz; Vermeulen; Cons: Barnard (2); Bosman (2);
Highlanders: Tries: Thomson; Bancroft (2); Cons: Delaney (2); Pens: Delaney (4);
Hurricanes 38-12 Lions in Wellington
Hurricanes: Tries: Guildford; Hore; Waldrom; Nonu (2); Cons: Gopperth; Ripia; Pens: Ripia (3);
Lions: Tries: Boshoff; Wepener; Cons: Rose;
Force 22-21 Chiefs in Perth
Force: Tries: Hodgson; Mitchell; Stannard; Cons: Giteau (2); Pens: Giteau;
Chiefs: Tries: Donald; Masaga; Cons: Donald; Pens: Donald (2); Drops: Bruce;
Bulls 16-13 Waratahs in Pretoria
Bulls: Tries: Kuun; Cons: Steyn; Pens: Steyn; Drops: Hougaard; Steyn;
Waratahs: Tries: Horne; Cons: Beale; Pens: Beale; Drops: Beale;
Stormers 20-10 Brumbies in Cape Town
Stormers: Tries: de Villiers; Penalty try; Cons: Grant (2); Pens: Grant (2);
Brumbies: Tries: Ashley-Cooper; Kimlin;
Super 14 2008 Standings
| TEAM | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | B1 | B2 | TOTAL |
| Crusaders | 11 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 328 | 129 | 7 | 0 | 47 |
| Waratahs | 11 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 224 | 162 | 3 | 2 | 37 |
| Hurricanes | 11 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 272 | 175 | 5 | 1 | 36 |
| Stormers | 11 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 234 | 185 | 4 | 3 | 35 |
| Chiefs | 11 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 296 | 269 | 4 | 1 | 33 |
| Sharks | 11 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 191 | 170 | 1 | 1 | 32 |
| Clues | 11 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 295 | 235 | 4 | 3 | 31 |
| Brumbies | 11 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 238 | 260 | 3 | 1 | 28 |
| Force | 11 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 208 | 235 | 1 | 3 | 28 |
| Bulls | 11 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 236 | 310 | 1 | 2 | 19 |
| Reds | 11 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 226 | 278 | 1 | 1 | 16 |
| Highlanders | 11 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 216 | 284 | 2 | 5 | 15 |
| Cheetahs | 11 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 221 | 335 | 3 | 6 | 13 |
| Lions | 11 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 160 | 318 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
Round 13 Draw
May 9 Hurricanes - Force, Wellington 7:35 PM
May 10 Bulls - Brumbies, Pretoria 5:10 AM
May 10 Highlanders - Blues, Dunedin 7:35 PM
May 10 Reds - Crusaders, Brisbane 9:40 PM
May 11 Sharks - Cheetahs, Durban 1:00 AM
May 11 Lions - Chiefs, Johannesburg 3:05 AM
May 11 Stormers - Waratahs, Cape Town 5:10 AM
• All dates and times are NZT 
Try Scorers
Ma'a Nonu, Hurricanes 7
Lelia Masaga, Chiefs 7
Fetuu Vainikolo, Highlanders 6
Stephen Donald, Chiefs 6
Wycliff Palu, Waratahs 5
Andrew Ellis, Crusaders 5
Akona Ndungane, Bulls 5
Jongi Nokwe, Cheetahs 5
Point Scorers
Stephen Donald, Chiefs 133
Peter Grant, Stormers 110
Nick Evans, Blues 105
Daniel Carter, Crusaders 89
Clinton Schifcofske, Reds 78
Matt Giteau, Force 76
