Rugby-Super Rugby week three
March 11 (Reuters) - Highlights from week three of Super Rugby:
BLUES 12 HIGHLANDERS 16
The Highlanders got their season back on track at Eden Park after two opening losses but were left counting the cost with injuries to Waisake Naholo, Lima Sopoaga and Tevita Li.
A gusty day saw a scrappy match littered with handling errors unfold but the Highlanders held firm in the final minutes to consign the Blues to their second successive loss.
Highlanders centre Malakai Fekitoa scored the game's only try, while Ihaia West slotted three penalties for the Blues.
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BRUMBIES 25 FORCE 17
Brumbies recorded their first win of the new Super Rugby season, edging out Western Force and replacing them at the top of the Australian conference.
Force second rower Ross Haylett-Petty was sin-binned with 10 minutes to go and the momentum immediately switched with Kyle Godwin and Robbie Abel scoring tries. Henry Speight and Wharenui Hawera had supplied the other tries for Brumbies.
Force captain Heath Tessmann and Chance Peni scored the tries for Force who were much more competitive in the first half.
CHIEFS 26 HURRICANES 18
The Waikato Chiefs handed the Wellington Hurricanes the first defeat of their Super Rugby title defence with a hard-fought victory in a Hamilton rainstorm.
Tries from lock Brodie Retallick and winger Toni Pulu in the first half as well as 16 points from the faultless boot of fullback Damian McKenzie kept intact the 100 percent record of the twice former champions after three matches.
The Hurricanes had scored in 24 tries and 154 points in their first two outings but were unable to reproduce their high intensity attack against New Zealand opposition in such poor conditions.
Back-to-back yellow cards for flanker Ardie Savea and lock Michael Fatialofa in the first half did not help their cause and second half tries from scrumhalf TJ Perenara and winger Julian Savea proved insufficient even for a losing bonus point.
(Compiled by Ian Ransom; Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)
