Chiefs, Crusaders, Brumbies advance to Super Rugby Pacific semifinals

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The top-ranked Chiefs will play the ACT Brumbies and the defending champion Crusaders will play the Blues in the Super Rugby Pacific semifinals. All but the Blues won quarterfinals on Saturday against teams they lost to in the regular season.

The four winning teams also played at home which again stressed the immense value of home advantage in the playoffs.

The best quarterfinal was the last one in which the Brumbies beat the Hurricanes in a see-sawing match in Canberra. The Hurricanes beat the Brumbies in the 10th round of the regular season.

The Brumbies led 25-16 at halftime but the Hurricanes rallied to lead 33-25 at the three quarter mark with tries to captain Ardie Savea and Devan Flanders. Tries to Luke Reimer and Tom Wright gave the Brumbies the lead again at 37-33 with 10 minutes remaining.

The Hurricanes spent most of that time on attack, battering the Brumbies line past the fulltime siren. Savea crashed over for the Hurricanes in the 84th minute for what would have been the winning try but the referee ruled Reimer got his hand under the ball, preventing the score and sending the Brumbies into a semifinal in Hamilton.

“It came down to that last play and, as much as I disagree, that's the way footy is,” Savea said. “Sometimes it goes your way, sometimes it doesn't.”

The Chiefs needed a 76th-minute try to back-rower Pita Gus Sowakula to edge the Queensland Reds 29-20 in Hamilton and seal a place in the semifinals for the second year in a row.

The Reds were the only team to beat the Chiefs during the regular season and though they came into the playoffs with only five wins to the Chiefs’ 13, they came close to winning again.

Reds winger Suliasi Vunivalu's second try gave the visitors a 20-19 lead on the hour. But Chiefs flyhalf Damian McKenzie, whose kicking was a decisive factor, landed his fifth penalty goal to give the Chiefs a 22-20 lead, and Sowakula finished a handling rush by forwards to clinch the win.

The Reds troubled the Chiefs throughout with their kicking game, winning three 50-20s. They added to that robust defense that pinned the Chiefs back and forced turnovers.

“That’s what we expected,” Chiefs captain Sam Cane said. “They defended very well, I thought their set-piece was very good and they put us under pressure. We had to grind it out but I was pleased with the way we stayed composed.”

The Crusaders scored two tries in the first five minutes and four in the first half on the way to a 49-8 win over the Fijian Drua, who beat them in Lautoka, Fiji, in round three.

Hooker Codie Taylor scored two first-half tries as the Crusaders unleashed their forward power against a Drua team playing in the quarterfinals for the first time.

The Crusaders stung the Drua with tries to prop Oli Jager and Taylor inside the first five minutes. A second to Taylor and another to back-rower Sione Havili-Talitui came before the Drua brought their fans to their feet with an intercept try to winger Selestino Ravutaumada. The 11-time champion Crusaders led 28-8 at halftime.

Lock Scott Barrett started the second half with a try but the Crusaders began to lose their shape when they drained their bench and the Drua opposed them more physically.

Having used up the full bench so early, the Crusaders were forced to finish the match with 14 players when back-rower Zach Gallagher limped from the field in the 64th.

They extended their lead despite that disadvantage when fullback Will Jordan, who had one try disallowed, scored another in the 66th. They finished with a try to scrumhalf Willi Heinz in the 78th.

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