Chiefs stun Highlanders, Sunwolves win big

The Chiefs beat the Highlanders and closed the gap to the Hurricanes in Super Rugby’s highly competitive New Zealand Conference.

All three sides are set for the play-offs, but they trail the Crusaders at the top of the group and jostled for position on Saturday.

The Chiefs secured a standout result as they won 45-22 on the road at the Highlanders for their third win in four away matches after a blistering first half.

Six tries before the break – including two from Toni Pulu – incredibly had the visitors up 42-0 at the break as they put the result beyond doubt.

But the hosts were able to deny the Chiefs a bonus point. Teihorangi Walden scored a brace soon after the restart, before another two tries followed.

FULL TIME: What a game! We take the win in Suva 45-22. A huge fortnight of rugby to come at FMG Stadium Waikato with the Brumbies and Hurricanes to visit – got your tickets yet? #HIGvCHI #ChiefsMana pic.twitter.com/OGeQzjVSFR

— Chiefs Rugby (@ChiefsRugby) June 30, 2018

The Chiefs will now have the Hurricanes in their sights ahead of their meeting, with the second-placed side in the conference losing 24-12 to Brumbies, who ran in three second-half tries to overturn a 12-5 deficit half-time deficit.

There was a surprise thriller between two of the league’s strugglers, meanwhile, as the Sunwolves defeated the Bulls 42-37 in Singapore.

The two number 10s were the stars of the show as the Sunwolves’ Hayden Parker scored a try and kicked six conversions, while Handre Pollard crossed once and put away four conversions and three penalties.

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