Sharks, Crusaders march on

Published on 23/07/2012 00:35

South Africa’s Sharks ended the Queensland Reds’ reign as Super 15 rugby champions while the Canterbury Crusaders took a step towards their eighth championship title with wins on Saturday in the first round of playoffs.

The Durban-based Sharks beat the Reds 30-17 at Brisbane and will face compatriots the Stormers in next weekend’s semi-finals while the Crusaders beat the Pretoria-based Bulls 28-13 at Christchurch to progress to a semifinal against the Waikato Chiefs. The Sharks beat the Stormers 25-20 and the Crusaders beat the Chiefs 28-21 in their most recent meetings during the regular season.

Stand-off Dan Carter kicked 23 points and created a try for his All Blacks teammate Zac Guildford as the Crusaders reached the semi-finals for the 14th time in 17 years after a match between teams which have won 10 of 16 Super rugby titles.

The Sharks booked a semi-final place for the seventh time, the first since 2008, creating a showdown in Cape Town between teams which have never held a Super rugby title.