Super Rugby

Crusaders name, swords and horses have got to go, says Muslim advocate

On Wednesday the Crusaders and New Zealand Rugby announced they would this season seek feedback on the Crusaders name, giving two options.

One was to remove the sword-wielding horsemen that has been part of pre-match entertainment, the second was to change the branding, as well as the Crusaders name that has been with the team since 1996.

Changing the imagery only would be an insult and defeat the purpose altogether, advocate Guled Mire told Radio New Zealand.

All Blacks and Highlanders wing Waisake Naholo suffers knee injury

Naholo, who is currently in a knee brace, has undergone an MRI scan – revealing a grade two MCL injury.

He suffered the injury at Highlanders training on Monday.

The injury could not come at a worse time for the Highlanders who are without All Blacks halfback Aaron Smith for a similar time frame due to an ankle injury.

It is also lousy timing for Naholo as he seeks a resurgence in form ahead of the Rugby World Cup, which starts in Japan in September.

Sam Lousi signs with Scarlets to open Tonga door

The former Waratahs Super Rugby and New Zealand Warriors rugby league forward is currently sidelined with what is expected to be a season-ending pectoral injury.

"I am very excited to join the Scarlets for next season," he told the Scarlets website.

"It is a team that plays an exciting brand of rugby and I am looking forward to linking up with a group of players that are ambitious to be winning trophies.

"Hopefully, I can help them push forward and achieve further success over the next few years."

Last-gasp try seals Chiefs win

Tahuriorangi scored in the 79th minute to give the Chiefs their second win of the season, after thumping the Bulls 56-20 in Pretoria last weekend.

A stop-start opening 40 minutes gave the Chiefs a useful 17-6 halftime lead, the visitors scoring twice through Damian McKenzie and Tumua Manu, after a smart dink - and lucky bounce - from Marty McKenzie to go up by 11.

The Jaguares clawed back the deficit with tries from Joaquin Tuculet and Pablo Matera to level the scores at 20-20 at the end of the third quarter.

All Blacks captain Read hurt in comeback

Read was making his first appearance this year after an extended off-season but went down for a lengthy spell of treatment on his right leg after about 20 minutes of the first half at Wellington Regional Stadium.

He limped to the next play, a lineout down field where captain Sam Whitelock called him as the target, and saw out the rest of the first half but was replaced at half-time by coach Scott Robertson.

Crusaders capitalise on Canes' mistakes

Will Jordan and Braydon Ennor also crossed for the visitors who moved to 24 points on the table, giving themselves some breathing room ahead of the Hurricanes (19) at the top of the New Zealand conference.

Ngani Laumape scored the Hurricanes' only try in the match in which both sides committed numerous errors while the Crusaders defence forced several turnovers when the hosts were on attack.

Crusaders chasing their first road win against Hurricanes since 2012

The lock said so himself when asked what makes the Hurricanes such a tricky customer in the capital, where they have not lost to the Crusaders since 2012. They have won 25 of their last 26 home fixtures.

Put it this way, half of Crusaders coach Scott Robertson's four Super Rugby defeats since taking over the red and blacks in 2017 went down at Westpac Stadium. His overall record is 38-1-4 leading into Friday night's clash against the Hurricanes in Wellington

Richie Mo'unga and Beauden Barrett primed for clash of All Blacks' pivots

Denied a head-to-head clash between the All Blacks' pivots in round two in Christchurch because Barrett wasn't back from an extended break, Crusaders first-five Mo'unga and his Hurricanes counterpart will line up opposite one another in Wellington on Friday night. 

The last time they clashed - during last year's semifinal in Christchurch - Mo'unga outplayed Barrett in a 30-12 win, the second time he did so during the red and blacks' march to a ninth Super Rugby title. 

McReight's debut another bonus for Reds from Brumbies win

McReight, the Australian under-20 player of the year in 2018, is tipped as a star of the future set to become a fixture in the Reds backrow.

The former Brisbane Grammar student has been setting competitions alight since making a switch from the centres to become a workaholic openside flanker who became an Australian schoolboys representative at 16.

While he was named in the Reds' squad for the opening match of the season against the Highlanders in Dunedin, McReight did not play and had to wait for his moment.

"It was tough," McReight said of missing out.

No excuses from Crusaders

The two-time defending champions have been beaten 20-12 by the Waratahs at the Sydney Cricket Ground, ending their winning run at 19.

"It was a tough week but look we're Crusaders, we don't make excuses we just needed to be better in a lot of parts of the game," coach Scott Robertson said.

The teams stood arm-in-arm in a circle on the pitch for a minute's silence in memory of the victims of the Christchurch attack before the start of the match.