NRL
Yes, it’s true – the Warriors won on the weekend! A stirring comeback saw the side overturn an 18-6 deficit in their match against the St George-Illawarra Dragons in the NRL’s Magic Round on Saturday night, eventually winning 26-18 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. New half Kodi Nikorima had a successful start to his Warriors’ career, while David Fusitu’a scored a try in his first game back from injury.
However, it was the performance of the forwards that gave the most cause for celebration. Only a week after getting pummelled by the Knights at Mt Smart, the pack stood up and gave the Warriors plenty of go-forward ball. The result means they remain in 12th spot on the NRL ladder. They now head to Penrith on Friday night to face the struggling Panthers, who were comfortably beaten 30-4 by the Tigers.
In other NRL action, the Broncos beat the Sea Eagles 26-10, the Knights beat the Bulldogs 22-10, the Storm smashed the Eels 64-10, the Roosters held off a fast-finishing Raiders side 30-24, and the Rabbitohs beat the Cowboys 32-16.
Super Rugby
Things weren’t so happy for the Blues on Friday night, beaten comfortably by the Hurricanes at Eden Park. The 20-12 loss means they now have pretty much no show of making the playoffs, and things got even worse on Saturday night. That’s because the Chiefs beat the Sharks 29-23 in Hamilton, meaning that the Blues now sit on the bottom of the New Zealand Conference. Earlier that evening, the Highlanders kept their playoff hopes alive with a 32-27 win over Los Jaguares in Dunedin.
The Chiefs’ win was all the more memorable as it came after yet another week of bad news on the injury front. They had to start the game with Tyler Ardron and Mitchell Brown, normally loose forwards, at lock, and then overcame a 23-17 deficit to take the win. Captain Brad Weber scored one of the tries of the season to put the Chiefs in the lead, finishing off a sweeping 80 metre move off the kickoff.
Elsewhere, Quade Cooper’s Rebels beat his old side the Reds 30-24 in Melbourne, the Crusaders thrashed the Bulls 45-13, the Lions pipped the Waratahs 29-28 in Johannesburg and the Brumbies blanked the Sunwolves 33-0 in Canberra.
ANZ Netball Premiership
Casey Kopua got the perfect send off in her last game for the Magic, helping them to a 61-52 win in Hamilton yesterday. After an even start, the Magic nosed nailed a five-goal burst to lead 19-12 lead at the first break. Shooter Kelsey McPhee was again the star for the home side, landing 47 from 55 shots, however she can thank from attackers Sam Sinclair and Ariana Cable-Dixon for supplying her with plenty of quality possession.
The Magic took a 10-goal lead into the half, before the Mystics mounted a spirited comeback to make the score 45-41 at the end of the third. The game tightened considerably, making for a more even and exciting contest, however the Magic held on to take the victory in their last game of the season.
The Pulse and Steel look odds-on to make the final in two weeks’ time. Both are in action over the next few days, with the Pulse playing the Stars tonight and Mystics on Wednesday, and the Steel playing the Stars on Wednesday as well.