Rugby Union - Rugby World Cup 2023 - Pool A - New Zealand v Italy - Groupama Stadium, Lyon, France - September 29, 2023 New Zealand's Ardie Savea waves to fans after the match REUTERS/Paul Childs
(Reuters) -Ardie Savea's Moana Pasifika produced a stunning 45-29 upset win over the Canterbury Crusaders in Christchurch on Saturday to deny the 14-times champions top spot in the Super Rugby Pacific standings after round seven.
With the table-topping Waikato Chiefs enjoying a bye, the Crusaders had been expected to move above them but Moana finally produced a complete 80-minute performance to claim a first ever win over the New Zealand powerhouse.
Captain Savea scored the first two of their six tries in the opening 16 minutes to set the tone and flyhalf Patrick Pellegrini's kicking game kept the Crusaders on the back foot as the 2022 expansion team claimed a well-deserved victory.
"No one was expecting us to win so the message was for the boys just to jam and play with nothing to lose," said All Blacks number eight Savea, who moved to Moana for this season.
"We certainly did that tonight. We came here, we did the job and I'm just proud of the boys. They deserve everything that comes their way."
The Queensland Reds did take advantage of the Chiefs' bye when they prevailed 28-24 over Western Force in a hardfought Australian derby to close out the round in Brisbane on Saturday evening.
The teams went try-for-try at a rain-soaked Lang Park to go into halftime locked up at 21-21 and Ben Donaldson edged the Perth-based Force ahead with a penalty in the 57th minute.
Wallabies scrumhalf Tate McDermott came off the bench to score the winning try from close range in the 72nd minute, however, and the Reds muscled up in defence to close out the win.
"We're really happy with where we're at at the moment," said Reds skipper Ryan Smith.
"But obviously there's a lot of footy still to be played this year and we've got some really tough tests coming up over the next couple of weeks."
REDS TOP
The Reds top the standings with 23 points, one ahead of the Chiefs with the Crusaders and ACT Brumbies in third and fourth on 19 points. The Chiefs host the Reds to kick off round eight next weekend.
The Brumbies scored two tries in the last eight minutes and held on for a 34-27 win over the Otago Highlanders in a frenetic finish in Canberra on Friday.
Winger Andy Muirhead showed neat footballing skills to cross for the home side's fourth try and centre Len Ikitau grabbed the fifth two minutes from time but the Highlanders were still hammering away for an equalising score well after the hooter.
In Friday's other game, the fifth-placed New South Wales Waratahs were handed a 57-12 reality check by the Wellington Hurricanes in the New Zealand capital, their disappointment compounded by a serious ankle injury to fullback Max Jorgensen.
Hulking winger Kini Naholo scored a hat-trick as the Hurricanes, showing the form that took them to the top of the regular season standings at the end of the last campaign, ran in nine tries to move into the top half of the table.
"It was nice to put some points on the board and find some rhythm on both sides of the ball," Hurricanes coach Clark Laidlaw said. "Much more pleasing."
(Reporting by Michael Church and Nick Mulvenney, editing by Ed Osmond)
