Sunday 15 March 2015 18:49, UK
We bring you round-ups and highlights of all the Super Rugby matches in Week 5.
Dan Carter returned from a month layoff due to injury to kick four conversions and two penalties as the Crusaders beat the Lions 34-6 on Saturday.
Carter had been sidelined since the opening round of the season when he suffered a leg injury in his Christchurch-based team's 20-10 loss to the Melbourne Rebels. He returned Saturday but did not replace All Blacks teammate Colin Slade at flyhalf, starting instead in the No. 12 jersey.
Carter converted tries by scrumhalf Andy Ellis, replacement Kieron Fonotia and returning All Blacks backrower Kieran Read, and a penalty try awarded for a scrum infringement in the 55th minute. The Crusaders led 13-3 at halftime.
Elton Jantjies kicked two penalties for the Lions, who didn't come close to repeating their rare win in New Zealand over the Auckland Blues last weekend.
The slow-starting Crusaders, record seven-time Super Rugby winners, moved up to ninth and within sight of the playoffs with just their second win in five rounds of the tournament.
The Sharks had too much for the Cheetahs in an all-South African meeting, scoring five tries in a 27-10 win, with Springboks flanker Marcell Coetzee rumbling over for two of those tries.His first try came after 29 minutes and he struck again just three minutes later as the Sharks established a commanding 22-3 half-time advantage.
That gap effectively ended the game as a contest and allowed the Sharks to avenge a shock six-point opening-round home loss to the Cheetahs last month.
A four-try bonus-point triumph also got the Sharks' southern hemisphere inter-provincial championship campaign back on track after a one victory-three losses start to the season.
Beginning the match 11th on the combined table, Sharks climbed to sixth while the Cheetahs slipped one place to 11th.
Centre Francois Steyn and New Zealand-born replacement back Jack Wilson scored a try each for the Sharks and fly-half Patrick Lambie slotted two conversions and a penalty.
Centre Francois Venter was the late, lone try scorer for the Cheetahs, Francois Brummer kicked a conversion and the fly-half he replaced, Willie du Plessis, slotted an early penalty.
The Highlanders scored three tries in an eight-minute period on either side of halftime to beat defending Super Rugby Champions the Waratahs 26-19.
Winger Waisake Naholo outflanked the defense in the 38th minute to give the Highlanders a 14-12 halftime lead after trailing for much of the first half. Full-back Ben Smith and winger Patrick Osborne crossed in the 3rd and 6th minutes of the second half to extend the lead, and the Highlanders held on for victory.
Aaron Cruden was at his creative best to inspire the Chiefs to a 28-19 victory over the Stormers who suffered their first defeat of the season on Saturday.
Cruden scored the Chiefs' first try and added two conversions and three penalties, guiding his side to an emphatic win as their backline ran the home side ragged.
Winger James Lowe and flanker Sam Cane also scored tries as the Chiefs came from 16-13 down at halftime to sprint ahead in the second period by keeping the ball in hand with remarkable proficiency.
Winger Jacobus Van Wyk scored the only try for the home side, with starting fly-half Kurt Coleman adding the conversion and three penalties. His replacement Demetri Catrakilis added a further penalty.
The Brumbies beat the Reds 29-0 in a five-try bonus-point win in their Australian derby.
Three of Brumbie's five tries came from front-row forwards, with hooker Stephen Moore scoring one and prop Ben Alexander two to underline their dominance in the pack.
No. 8 Ita Vaea and center Christian Lealiifano also got in on the act against a struggling and injury-hit Queensland, which had flanker Liam Gill yellow-carded early in the second half and was missing a string of regulars.
The Western Force's Super Rugby losing streak extends to four games as their fight-back against the Melbourne Rebels fell just short in Perth with the game ending 21-17 to the Rebels.The Rebels started the game superbly, racing to a 15-0 lead inside 33 minutes thanks to tries from Mike Harris and winger Dom Shipperly as well as a penalty from Harris.
But the Western Force staged a comeback in front of their home fans, as quick thinking from scrum-half Albie Mathewson gave them their first try of the night on the stroke of half-time.
Harris and Luke Burton exchanged penalties early on in the second half before a 65th-minute effort from Harris put his side in front with a 21-10 lead.
Western Force came back again through a try from hooker Tetera Faulkner, and with the conversion there were just four points in it, but the Rebels were able to hold out for their second win of the season.
The Hurricanes continued their impressive start to the 2015 edition of Super Rugby with a 30-23 bonus point win over the Blues in Palmerston North.
Tries from TJ Perenara, Matt Proctor as well as two from All Black winger Julian Savea gave the Hurricanes their fourth consecutive win in the competition, while providing the Blues with a fifth straight defeat.Hurricanes opened the scoring, and were 11-0 up when a superb individual effort from Lolagi Visina brought the Blues back into the game and they eventually took the lead before half-time.
Proctor scored in the opening minute of the second period to reclaim the lead for his side, but the Blues were soon ahead again before Savea crossed for his first try of the game to make it 25-20 to the home side.
A penalty from Ihaia West made it a two-point game in the final quarter but it was try-machine Savea who scored his second to seal the win in the 75th minute as the Hurricanes held out for a 30-23 win.
