Bulls, Waratahs on top of Super 14

SYDNEY – South Africa’s Northern Bulls and the NSW Waratahs are jostling for the lead after three rounds of the Super 14 rugby championship.

The Bulls edged out neighbours Golden Lions 16-9, adapting to the wet Johannesburg conditions the better, but their victory came at a price with former world player of the year Bryan Habana breaking a hand and likely to be out for a month.The Pretoria Bulls are top on points differential from the Waratahs, both on 14 points each, after the Sydney team’s record ninth consecutive home victory with a 34-16 bonus-point win over the Otago Highlanders.Another South African outfit, the Coastal Sharks, are the only other team to boast an unbeaten record this season after their superb defence earned them a courageous 22-15 away win over Waikato Chiefs.But the Sharks have yet to earn a bonus point this campaign and lie third on 12 points.Australia’s Western Force and the Auckland Blues hold down joint fourth place on 10 points after weekend away victories.The Perth-based Force upset the ACT Brumbies 25-16 in Canberra and the Blues chiselled out a dour 14-8 win over Western Stormers in Cape Town.Wellington Hurricanes handed defending champions Canterbury Crusaders their second consecutive defeat with a 30-24 win in Christchurch to send the seven-time champions tumbling to eighth place.Queensland Reds moved off the bottom and into ninth spot with a 22-3 win over South Africa’s Central Cheetahs in sweltering Brisbane yesterday.X-rays will determine the extent of Springbok winger Habana’s hand injury, which forced him off in the 55th minute of the Bulls’ slogging win over the Lions.An outstanding first half from the former champions had them leading 16-0 at half-time before the Lions hit back with three penalties in the second half.The Waratahs recaptured their rhythm after the previous week’s turgid win over the Chiefs to score four tries, with the final try by replacement scrumhalf Brett Sheehan securing the scoring bonus point in the final minute.Flyhalf Kurtley Beale was bang on target after landing only one penalty goal last week to chip in with three conversions and two penalties.It was the Sydney team’s third straight win of the season and their ninth consecutive win at home stretching back to their last home defeat against the Chiefs (23-28) in April 2007.The Durban Sharks showed why they are the best defensive team in the Super 14 as they repelled waves of attacks after the final siren to protect their narrow advantage in heavy rain in Hamilton.In a match that was an intense struggle all the way, the Sharks’ success lay in the pinpoint accuracy of their chip kicks to the left wing flyer JP Pietersen, who scored two tries.Winger Cameron Shepherd scored three tries as Western Force, in their third season of the Super 14, scored their first away win in Australia against the Brumbies.The Force claimed a scoring bonus point and went to 2-1 ahead of successive games in New Zealand against the Chiefs and Crusaders.Paul Williams, the son of All Blacks wing legend Bryan, scored all the Auckland Blues points as they ground out a 14-8 win over the Stormers at Newlands to complete their two-match South African tour with a victory.Piri Weepu staked his claim to the All Blacks’ flyhalf role when he steered the Hurricanes to a rare away win over the Crusaders, who fought back from 30-12 down with two tries. – Nampa-AFP