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Waikato wins fourth straight; Otago stuns Bulls

MILS Muliaina and Sitiveni Sivivatu scored two tries apiece yesterday as the resurgent Waikato Chiefs beat Queensland 50-26 in Brisbane to return to the top four in the Super 14 tournament.

After withstanding a series of attacking raids early, the Chiefs dominated the six tries to four victory with flyhalf Stephen Donald directing traffic and scoring 23 points.

The Reds picked up a bonus point when flanker Daniel Braid dived over after pinching a Chiefs' lineout close the line in the last five minutes.

The Chiefs opened the season with three straight losses but have gained momentum since the return of All Blacks fullback Muliaina and have won four in a row.

The away win over Queensland followed a 63-34 thrashing of Auckland at Hamilton last week and set the Chiefs up well for a sequence of three home matches.

The Reds went into the match on a week off following an upset home win over the Sharks.

Elsewhere, the Canterbury Crusaders continued their recent resurgence with a narrow 11-7 victory over South Africa's Stormers in Christchurch and the Otago Highlanders produced the biggest upset of the season with a 36-12 victory over the previously unbeaten Bulls in their first home match away from their traditional South Island venues.

The Crusaders, who lost three successive matches then threw away a 14-point lead to draw 23-23 with Western Force, got the defense of their title back on track last week with a 17-13 victory over New South Wales Waratahs in Sydney.

They are now in sixth place on 18 points.

In Palmerston North, New Zealand, Jason Shoemark, Matt Berquist and Israel Dagg (all of whom play for Hawke's Bay), Jimmy Cowan and Daniel Bowden scored tries for the Highlanders in a stunning display of attacking flair against the Bulls.




 

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