Blues join Crusaders in Super 14 winning stakes

The Crusaders had some rare New Zealand company in the Super 14 rugby winners' circle but the Hurricanes and Highlanders maintained a dangerous downward spiral in round six matches over the weekend.

The previous two weeks had been marked by New Zealand non-performance, with the Crusaders the only side from these shores to notch victories on both occasions.

They tasted more success yesterday - a predictable 46-19 stroll against the lowly Lions - but were at least joined by the Blues, who opened the round with a boisterous 39-34 defeat of the ACT Brumbies in Auckland.

Not so chirpy are the Hurricanes, who slumped to a third straight defeat in South Africa with their 19-18 loss to the Bulls in Pretoria while the Highlanders clocked up loss number five with a lacklustre 30-16 reversal against the Sharks at Carisbrook.

Both are drifting dangerously off the pace of South African hot dogs the Bulls and Stormers, who are set to embark on Australasian tours which should play a key role in shaping the playoffs makeup.

Most pre-season pundits backed the Hurricanes to make the top four and that looked perceptive when they won their first three matches but a South African nightmare has them on the back foot.

They became another victim of the Bulls' squeezing style at Pretoria, struggling to handle the high kicks and rolling mauls which the defending champions have turned into an art form.

Up 18-10 with half an hour remaining, coach Colin Cooper's men could do little as Bulls halfback Fourie du Preez and goalkicking first five-eighth Morne Steyn rode the game home on the back of their surging pack.

"They've got a great nine and 10 and they play that type of game well," Cooper said of the Bulls.

"They've got a massive pack and they can just squeeze you out of the game. It's quite intimidating (at Loftus Versfeld). There's altitude to deal with, a massive crowd to deal with, and it felt like we had everything against us."

Bulls captain Victor Matfield celebrated victory in his 100th Super rugby match, as did Blues counterpart Keven Mealamu at Eden Park on Friday.

Mealamu was part of a physical forward effort which shaded an efficient Brumbies outfit while centre Rene Ranger was at the sharp end of most of the hosts' best backline work.

Winger Joe Rokocoko snared two tries as the Blues improved to ninth, one place behind the Hurricanes but with a game in hand.

Two slots further back are the Highlanders, who are seemingly staring at another low-table finish after fading at Carisbrook.

After dominating the opening exchanges but struggling to trouble the scorers, the southern men failed to contain the more efficient Sharks, who were relieved to taste success for the first time this campaign.

Less troubled were the Crusaders, who rested several big guns but still overwhelmed the defensively-naive Lions in a forgettable match, scoring five tries to one but rarely rising to lofty red and black standards as Daniel Carter's stand-in Colin Slade booted 21 points.

Two low-scoring matches this morning saw the New South Wales Waratahs cling on to a 14-10 defeat of the unlucky Western Force in Perth while the Stormers solidified second place with a 21-8 defeat of compatriots the Cheetahs in Cape Town.

The Waratahs scrambled into fourth place and host the Blues next week while the Chiefs face an equally-important Tasman crossing, against the ACT Brumbies in Canberra.

The Crusaders will enjoy next week off while the Hurricanes and Highlanders have every chance to end their slumps at home to the Sharks and Lions respectively.

- NZPA