Defending champion Crusaders miss Super Rugby Pacific playoffs as Hurricanes go top
LAUTOKA, Fiji (AP) — The seven-time defending champion Crusaders have been the big losers in the last, hectic scramble for playoff places in Super Rugby Pacific, missing out on the quarterfinals for the first time in a decade.
The Christchurch-based Crusaders won their last regular-season match 43-10 against Moana Pasifika on Friday to move inside the top-eight playoff zone for the first time this season.
But they were shuffled back to ninth place when the Fijian Drua took a bonus point from a 40-19 win over the Melbourne Rebels in Lautoka on Saturday. The Drua moved up to seventh, reaching the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year, and the Rebels held on to eighth to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in their 14-year history.
But there was a somber note to the achievement after Rugby Australia announced on Thursday that it will not renew the Rebels’ license to play in Super Rugby next season because of financial instability.
Saturday’s match was the Rebels' last regular-season match in Super Rugby and the club will cease to exist as soon as their playoff run ends.
The Crusaders needed the Rebels to beat or draw to progress to the playoffs themselves.
The Crusaders issued a statement announcing a review of the season when their match in Fiji ended.
“Our review is focused on performance and ensures we don’t make any rash decisions," said chief executive Colin Mainsbridge. "We want the team and organization to operate to the standard we expect and that every opportunity to improve is looked at.”
The Hurricanes also took a bonus point from a 41-14 win over the Dunedin-based Highlanders in a match played in gale-force winds in Wellington.
The bonus point broke the top-of-the-table tie between the Hurricanes and the Auckland-based Blues, who beat the Hamilton-based Chiefs 31-17 on Saturday.
The Blues and Hurricanes came into the last regular-season round tied on 51 points. The Hurricanes' bonus-point win took them to 56 points while the Blues finished with 55 after missing a bonus point when the Chiefs scored a last-minute try.
Winger Salesi Rayasi scored a hat-trick of tries and backrower Du'Plessis Kirifi claimed two in an impressive Hurricanes win. Top-seeding means they will retain home advantage as long as they stay in the playoffs.
“I guess we just want to be able to control our own destiny and we're looking no further ahead than next week,” Hurricanes captain Jordie Barrett said.
The Blues seemed to have a bonus point under wraps when they led 31-7, by five tries to one, midway through the second half. But the Chiefs finished strongly with tries from Josh Ioane and Quinn Tupaea.
“We can be happy with the win but our goal was to win with the bonus point and unfortunately we didn't do that,” Blues captain Patrick Tuipulotou said. "It's very disappointing for us, especially with the way we wanted to play. We didn't do it consistently, only in patches.”
The match in Lautoka was the most momentous of the round, deciding the playoff fate of the Drua, Rebels and Crusaders.
The game was locked 19-19 at halftime but the Drua shocked the Rebels with three tries immediately after the break to take it by six tries to three.
The Rebels scored three first-half tries, including a penalty try for a professional foul by Drua scrumhalf Frank Lomani, who received a yellow card in his first match back from a six-week suspension.
Lomani atoned by scoring one of the Drua's second-half tries while winger Waqa Nalaga scored a try in each half. Center Iosefo Masi also scored a try to top an outstanding performance.
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