Super 14 wrap
2006-02-25 23:29
South African rugby supporters did not have much to cheer about in round three of the Super 14.
Apart from the Bulls 26-17 victory over the Waratahs at Loftus, it was a gloomy weekend for the four other SA franchises.
The Cats put in gutsy first half display against the top of the table Hurricanes, before falling away in the second stanza.
Samoan international Lome Fa'aatu showed his class by running in two tries to achieve a 29-16 bonus point victory for the home side.
Cape Town has experienced major blackouts over the past two weeks raising concerns that there would be no electricity for the Stormers-Brumbies clash on Friday night.
In the end the floodlights worked fine, but it was the home side that appeared to be running low in the energy department.
The Men in Black surrendered a 12-point lead and were forced to settle for a 15-15 draw against the Canberra team.
The much-maligned Sharks outfit almost pulled off the surprise of the round when they ran the All Blacks-laden Crusaders outfit desperately close in Timaru.
The 2004 Super 12 champions required a last gasp drop goal from star flyhalf Dan Carter to clinch a 22-20 victory for the home team.
The Bulls got their campaign back on track with a convincing win over the Waratahs, who were still reeling from the Wendell Sailor booze affair.
Cheetahs slump to home defeat
The match was played a pedestrian pace for the first hour before the Bulls lifted a gear to run out comfortable victors.
Bloemfontein's Currie Cup final hangover has truly come to end after their team - the Cheetahs - slumped to the second successive home defeat of their campaign at a soaked Vodacom Stadium.
The Super 14 rookies showed their inexperience at this level by being edged out 17-12 by the Highlanders.
The competition's other rookie team - the Force - remain rooted to the bottom of the log after their third consecutive loss.
The Chiefs were never forced to break a sweat and recorded a comfortable 26-9 victory.
In a weekend of closely contested matches, the Reds v Blues match in Brisbane followed the same trend.
Both teams were aiming to break their Super 14 duck and in the end it was the Blues who managed to claim their first success of the season - albeit by a single point.
Round three results:
Hurricanes 29 - 16 Cats
Western Force 9 - 26 Chiefs
Stormers 15 - 15 Brumbies
Crusaders 22 - 20 Sharks
Reds 20 - 21 Blues
Bulls 26 - 17 Waratahs
Cheetahs 12 - 17 Highlanders