SPORTS SUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014 Photo of the day Crusaders rout Sharks WELLINGTON: The Canterbury Crusaders methodically The Sharks worked back into the game by capi- ground down the Sharks to score four second half tries talising on a charged down kick and dropped pass and canter to a 38-6 victory in Christchurch yesterday to set up field position that allowed Lambie to slot that propelled them to their first Super Rugby final in his two penalties. three years. Lambie missed a late penalty right on the half- Crusaders captain Kieran Read, wingers Nemani time hooter, to allow the home side to go into the Nadolo and Johnny McNicholl, scrumhalf Willi Heinz break with a 16-6 lead. and flanker Matt Todd all scored tries for the home side, Nadolo got more involved in the second half as who dominated throughout and held the visitors score- the Crusaders continued their high-paced game, less in the second half. though it took some initiative by scrumhalf Andy All Blacks flyhalf Dan Carter kicked two conversions Ellis to set up the Fijian international’s 49th minute and three penalties for the Crusaders, while Sharks fly- try. Already awarded a penalty advantage, Ellis half Patrick Lambie slotted two first half penalties. appeared to be waiting for the whistle then seized The Crusaders advanced to their 11th final with the on the Sharks’ hesitation, scampered through a gap victory and will meet New South Wales Waratahs. The to feed Carter, who then passed to Nadolo to go victory also released some of the pressure on coach over and give the home side a 21-6 lead. Todd Blackadder, whose side had not reached the final Carter and Lambie then both missed penalties since 2011 and have not won the title since he succeed- before the game turned definitively in the home ed Robbie Deans in 2008. side’s favour when the ball squirted out of a Sharks’ “Extremely satisfied, knowing we are going to the big defensive scrum that Heinz snaffled up and sprint- stage next week is an awesome feeling,” Read said in a ed 15 metres to score with 15 minutes remaining. televised interview. “We are really pleased with that per- McNicholl’s 70th-minute try ultimately summed formance. up the pattern of the match as the Crusaders “We started well, played at a high tempo early on seized on a poor kick from the Sharks and with and put them under pressure.” The Sharks’ kicking- backs and forwards spreading the ball wide and based territory game was executed badly with the ball backing each other up, were able to sweep down either finding Crusaders’ players in plenty of space to field. run it back, going out on the full or in one case by Todd then rubbed salt into the wound when the Lambie, rolling dead in goal. Crusaders pack executed a perfect rolling maul Israel Dagg, Carter and Colin Slade capitalised by pin- from an attacking lineout with about two minutes ning the Sharks inside their own half or by playing at remaining to blow the score out. pace and stretching the visitors across the field, with “Everything we worked on the last two weeks... Read prominent in his characteristic bursts down the we just couldn’t do... we are extremely disappoint- wide channels. Carter duly converted their opportuni- ed with our performance,” Sharks captain Bismarck Soul Flyers Fred Fugen and Vincent Reffet perform during training in Austria for The Ultimate Skydiving Combo, ties with three first half penalties, while Read scored a du Plessis said. “We didn’t play in the right areas skydiving from 33,000 feet (10 km) above the Mont Blanc, in Austria — www.redbull.com 17th-minute try. and couldn’t do what we worked on.” — Reuters DeLaet intends to end Canadian title drought MONTREAL: Canada’s Graham DeLaet The native of Weyburn in has his sights set on ending one of golf’s Saskatchewan has established himself as oldest title droughts, and was in “a great his country’s premier player with a world position” just two shots behind leaders ranking of 38th. Hearn, ranked 93rd, is Jim Furyk and Tim Petrovic after the the only other Canadian ranked among Canadian Open second round in the top 200. Montreal. “It was a great start,” said DeLaet, No Canadian has won the country’s who brushed the sleep from his eyes national open since Pat Fletcher in 1954, after his 7.50am ET (1150 GMT) tee time and DeLaet will start the weekend within to pick up five birdies in his first eight striking distance after reeling off nine holes. birdies in a seven-under-par 63 on Royal “I putted really well all day, even Montreal’s Blue Course on Friday. (sinking) a couple of big bogey putts to Not since Mike Weir led at the halfway avoid the double, and to birdie the last mark 10 years ago has a Canadian been two (holes) was just icing on the cake.” so well-placed after two rounds. Left-han- DeLaet was part of an impressive der Weir went on to lose to Vijay Singh in threesome with Furyk and world num- a playoff. ber seven Matt Kuchar (65) which made The 32-year-old DeLaet is not planning a combined total of 22 birdies. his victory speech just yet but is confi- “I don’t know if I’ve ever played in a dent that his broad shoulders can handle group (shooting) 63, 63, 65,” said Furyk. the weighty expectations of a partisan “It’s nice to see the other guys making home gallery. birdies - as long as you are. “I know there are a lot of hopes and “Sometimes when your two partners expectations but I’m in a great position are making a bunch of birdies and you’re SYDNEY: Waratahs’ Kurtley Beale (center with ball) breaks away on his way to scoring a try during their Super Rugby semifinal match against after two rounds and happy and excited not seeing putts go in it makes you more the Brumbies. — AP about the weekend,” he told PGATour.com frustrated.” after posting an eight-under 132 total. Furyk made his move early with four “I would love to win this golf tourna- consecutive birdies from his second hole Waratahs win Sydney ment. It would mean more to me than (the par-four 11th), where he jump-start- anything but I’m only halfway there.” ed his day by sinking a 45-foot putt that Veterans Furyk (63) and Petrovic (66) led broke “about three separate ways” showdown to reach final on 10-under 130, while DeLaet shared before crashing into the centre of the third place with American Kyle Stanley cup. (67). “I missed a couple of putts but you SYDNEY: Flyhalf Bernard Foley scored a brilliant and I’m psyched. It’s new territory for us but penalties three times in four minutes and the David Hearn (70) was the next best can’t make them all and I made a bunch late try and kicked 11 points to fire the New very exciting territory.” The Brumbies were still pressure ultimately told with the big winger Canadian, seven strokes off the lead, more putts today,” said the 44-year-old. South Wales Waratahs to a 26-8 victory over the pounding away at the home defence in the able to score in the corner on the overlap. which suggests DeLaet is the only player “That was the difference between 67 ACT Brumbies and into their third Super Rugby 75th minute when the Waratahs snapped up a Brumbies centre Christian Lealiifano and with a realistic chance of ending his yesterday and 63 today.” final yesterday. Foley finished off a breakaway wild inside pass from winger Joe Tomane about Foley traded penalties in the minute before country’s 60-year title drought at the Furyk, who finished fourth at last move that started deep inside the Waratahs own 15 metres from their line. Hulking second row halftime and the teams turned around with the half four minutes from time to seal the win and a Will Skelton came into the move in midfield Waratahs 11-8 ahead. event. week’s British Open, has piled up 16 home final next weekend against the and bulldozed 20 metres through the defence Lealiifano should have levelled up the scores DeLaet has never won on the PGA PGA Tour victories, including the Canterbury Crusaders, who beat South Africa’s with tacklers hanging off him before offloading two minutes after the break but screwed his Tour, but two runner-up finishes early this Canadian Open in 2006 and 2007, Sharks 38-6 in the earlier semi-final. to Foley, who took the ball at pace to touch penalty kick wide from in front of the posts. year suggest he is on the verge of a long- though neither of those wins came at The Waratahs, who lost both their previous down and delight most of the 38,800 crowd. The big hits continued from the big men on expected breakthrough. Royal Montreal. — Reuters finals to the Crusaders in 2005 and 2008, had It was a sparkling finish to an all-Australian both sides but it was the wrestling skills of one been set on the path to victory by opportunis- semi-final that had promised attacking flair but of the slightest players on the park that pro- tic tries from winger Alofa Alofa and centre delivered crushing tackles and dogged duced the next score after 46 minutes. Kurtley Beale at the start of each half.