It was do or die in Round 5 of the Super 14 for many teams. Some delivered, giving themselves a fighting chance at making the top 4, while others have seen that dream come and go. Twelve tries of this weekend’s action have been jam-packed into yet another RugbyDump Pick of the Week.
There was plenty of everything this week. Storming set-piece play brought crowds to their feet from Newlands to Dunedin while some superb build-up play from the likes of the Brumbies and the Chiefs brought the house down; Adam Ashley-Cooper’s two minute try had to be condensed.
The Crusaders were up to their old tricks despite a long injury list that is partially responsible for their current 11th place on the table. Though unable to perform as well as they would have liked, the Cantabrians ran in two beauties with Ryan Crotty and Isaac Ross finishing off. A lack of concentration in the second-half, not to mention two magical Matt Giteau moments, saw the Western Force come back to draw the match.
Fortunately for the spectator, blow-outs have been few and far between this season but round 5 saw the Blues beat down the last place Cheetahs and the Stormers run away from the Lions. Jacque Fourie’s interception and offload to speedster Henno Mentz was a flash of brilliance amongst an otherwise one sided contest for the Stormers. Sireli Naqelevuki also showed what a lethal and well balanced runner he is, scoring a neatly taken try.
It’s all to play for next week in round 6 as the Bulls, Waratahs, Sharks and Blues fight to maintain their spots at the top of the table.
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