S14 poised for thrilling finish

SYDNEY – This year’s Super 14 is heading for an extraordinary finish with seven teams still in contention for the semi-finals with just one round of the regular season to go.

•JULIAN LINDEN

All four playoff spots are still up for grabs with none of the teams yet assured of their place in the semis after the closest season in the tournament’s history.
South Africa’s Bulls went to the top of the standings on 42 points after a last-minute try by Springboks winger Bryan Habana earned them a bonus point in their 29-20 win over the Cheetahs in Pretoria.
Only a heavy loss in their final match against the Sharks will prevent them from making the playoffs while a win will assure them of a home semi-final.
Waikato Chiefs moved to second place on 41 points with a 16-8 win over the Wellington Hurricanes, who had led the table before the penultimate round only to slip back to third place on 39 points.
The Chiefs host Australia’s ACT Brumbies next week knowing a win will also assure them of a home semi-final while a loss could end their season.
The Canterbury Crusaders kept alive their title defence with a 32-12 win over Australia’s Queensland Reds to jump into fourth place on 37 points. They play their fellow New Zealanders, the Auckland Blues, in the last round.
The Blues bowed out of the semi-final race after losing 37-15 to the Brumbies in Canberra.
The Brumbies joined the Crusaders on 37 points while Australia’s New South Wales Waratahs beat the Sharks 16-12 in Durban to leave both sides on 36.
The Bulls, Super 14 champions in 2007, scored 19 unanswered points in the last half hour to come from behind and defeat the bottom-placed Cheetahs.
The Chiefs shook off the effects of jetlag to beat their New Zealand neighbours in Hamilton with flyhalf Stephen Donald scoring all of his team’s points, landing three first-half penalties then converting his own try early in the second term.
The Crusaders scored five tries to hammer the Reds in Christchurch, racing to a 32-0 lead just after halftime to secure the bonus point.
Australia’s Stirling Mortlock became the highest points scorer in Super 14 rugby when he scored 12 points in the Brumbies win over the Blues.
Mortlock scored a try and kicked two conversions and a penalty to overtake Andrew Mehrtens as the leading scorer in the competition’s history. He now has 994 points, four more than the former Crusaders flyhalf.
The Waratahs snuck home against the Sharks with a late try by Peter Playford in Durban, leaving both teams needing to win their final matches to have any hope of making the semi-finals.
Australia’s Western Force fell out of contention after a 25-24 loss to the Stormers in Cape Town while the Lions beat Otago Highlanders 27-22.
– Nampa-Reuters