Aussies May Miss Out On Super 12 Top Four
Illawarra Mercury
Monday April 28, 2003
AUSTRALIAN teams face being relegated to spectators during the Super 12 semifinals as the rampaging Highlanders hammered the ACT Brumbies to complete a New Zealand top four.
Australia has only once before missed fielding a side in the play-offs, in 1998, and no country has ever provided all four semifinalists.
The Brumbies exchanged positions with the Highlanders, dropping two points behind to fifth place on 27 points, after Friday night's emphatic 45-19 result.
The sixth-placed NSW Waratahs are five points adrift of the top four after a bye this weekend, and can do their ACT compatriots a huge favour by beating the Highlanders in Dunedin on Saturday.
Queensland took a significant stride towards avoiding the Super 12 rugby wooden spoon with a 41-13 win over the Cats in a scrappy encounter at Ballymore.
Wallaby back rower Owen Finegan has flown out to Wellington to join the squad for next Saturday's clash with the second-placed Hurricanes.
Finegan hasn't played since dislocating his shoulder in the Test against Ireland last November, but his experience will be crucial in the must-win clash.
He was initially set to make his comeback for the ACT Brumby Runners against Queensland A next Sunday.
``Owen has worked extremely hard and should be rewarded," ACT coach David Nucifora said.
``He'll give us extra depth for such an important game and also provide valuable experience in the lead-up to Saturday's match."
ACT inside centre Matt Giteau has been rated a strong chance of playing next Saturday despite a leg injury.
The Brumbies dominated territory and possession against the Highlanders but were let down by poor handling and flimsy defence, allowing the Dunedin side to run in a season-best seven tries.
Nucifora said the opportunities his side created were a positive to take into the match with the Hurricanes, who had a bye this weekend.
``What we showed in the first half there, we've just got to work really hard on nailing our opportunities," he said.
``We've done that well in the weeks leading up to the match ... we'll be working hard on that and rectifying our tackles because we just fell off too many."
The Blues retained their position at the top of the table with 39 points, five clear of the Hurricanes, after a 25-16 win over the Sharks.
The Crusaders missed the chance to go into second place in Pretoria when Bulls five-eighth Louis Koen slotted a drop goal after the siren to secure a thrilling 32-31 win.
But Canterbury got a bonus point and are now three behind the Hurricanes on 31 points ahead of their clash with the Stormers.
The Stormers edged the Chiefs 24-23 in Cape Town.
Queensland may lose winger Ben Tune for their Ballymore clash with the Sharks after he injured his knee.
The 26-year-old was back near his best as he helped Queensland gain the early ascendancy when he crossed for the first try of the match in the 15th minute.
Towering lock Nathan Sharpe, the man of the match, praised the Reds second-half performance. ``We used a few set moves and they came off for us," he said.
RESULTS
HIGHLANDERS 45 (Brad Fleming 2, Willie Walker, Danny Lee, Taine Randell, Iliesa Tanivula, Peter Bowden tries; Walker 5 cons) bt ACT BRUMBIES 19 (Andrew Walker, George Gregan, George Smith tries; Joe Roff 2 cons) at Carisbrook, Dunedin.
BLUES 25 (Rico Gear 2, Derren Witcombe tries; Carlos Spencer 2 pens, 2 cons) bt SHARKS 16 (AJ Venter try; Butch James 3 pens, con) at Eden Park, Auckland.
QUEENSLAND REDS 41 (Nick Stiles, Toutai Kefu, Ben Tune, Chris Latham tries; Elton Flatley 3 cons 5 pens) bt CATS 13 (Jakue Fourie try; Andre Pretorius con 2 pens) at Ballymore, Brisbane.
BULLS 32 (Jaco van der Westhuyzen 2 tries; Koen 2 cons, 4 pens, 2 drop goals) bt CRUSADERS 31 (Richie McCaw, Marika Vunibaka, Andrew Mehrtens tries; Mehrtens 2 cons, 3 pens, 1 drop goal) at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria.
STORMERS 24 (Pieter Rossouw 2 tries; Leon van den Heever 1 con, 4 pens) bt CHIEFS 23 (Shayne Austin, Roger Randle, Steve Bates tries; David Hill 1 con, 1 pen; Glen Jackson 1 pen) at Newlands, Cape Town.
Bye: Hurricanes, Waratahs
1*Four points for a win, two points for a draw
1*B1- Bonus points for scoring four or more tries
1*B2 - Bonus point for losing by seven points or less
© 2003 Illawarra Mercury
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