Super Rugby

Crusaders captain Scott Barrett said the 37-26 win brought a period of erratic form to a close.

"I think the last three of four weeks we've been backed into a corner."

"We've probably dug a little bit deeper with our preparation and I guess what it means to play for the Crusaders."

Leading 23-4 at half-time, the Crusaders were pushed in the second half by the Brumbies who piled on the points.

But Scott Robertson's men held on for the 37-26 win.

Covid meant New Zealand, Australia and South Africa played their own competitions in 2020.

In 2021 New Zealand and Australia played in house tournaments followed by a cross-over series, while South African teams decided to head to the Northern Hemisphere and play in the United Rugby Championship.

Robertson said the New Zealand teams, and by extension the All Blacks, are worse off without South Africa in Super Rugby.

He believes the South African teams are missed.

"I think more and more now."

Hamish Dalzell has copped a three match Super Rugby ban after pleading guilty to a dangerous tackle.

He will be out until May 20.

The incident occurred in the 67th minute of Crusaders upset loss to the Waratahs in Sydney last Saturday.

With captain and fellow lock Scott Barrett also serving a suspension and Mitchell Dunshea, Quinten Strange and Zach Gallagher out injured the Super Rugby Aotearoa champions have now taken another hit to their already depleted second row stocks.

Showing both determination and dazzling skills the Drua thrilled their home crowd in this historic match; their first in Suva in the Super Rugby competition. Cheers and shouts of joy erupted every time a Drua player touched the ball.

Despite their heroic effort, the Drua went down fighting against the Highlanders 27-24, in front of a sold-out ANZ Stadium.

The Drua made an electric start when halfback Frank Lomani scored the game's first try, after winger Vinaya Habosi smashed through the Highlanders' defensive line.

The Force started the match brightly, with In-form winger Manasa Mataele racing in for the first try of the match in the eighth minute.

The free-flowing scoring continued in the early stages, with Blues fly-half and All Blacks star Beauden Barrett narrowing the margin to five with a straightforward penalty goal in the 12th minute.

The Blues hit the front in the 19th minute courtesy of a close-range Sam Darry try.

Akira Ioane stormed over in the 21st minute, with AJ Lam adding a third try in the 29th minute, as the Blues took a 22-8 lead into half time.

This weekend is the first 'Super Round' of the competition where the Australian-based sides which include the Fijian Drua, and the New Zealand-based sides including Moana Pasifika, face off for the first time.

All six matches were scheduled to take place at Melbourne's Rectangular Stadium this weekend, but a rash of Covid-19 cases in the Force squad has led to the postponement of Friday's second fixture.

Goodhue will start at second-five against the Rebels in Melbourne on Sunday evening.

Goodhue has been out of action for 12 months after suffering a serious knee injury playing against the Hurricanes in Wellington last April.

He ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament, he damaged his medial collateral ligament and posterior cruciate ligament attempting a tackle.

The Crusaders are now preparing for a four-match tour in Australia, starting with their Anzac weekend fixture against the Rebels, the last game in Super Rugby Pacific's 'Super Round'.

Barrett has been suspended for 4 weeks after pleading guilty to a high tackle in his side's 27-23 loss to the Blues on Friday night.

He was shown a red card in the 46th minute for his hit on Blues prop Alex Hodgman.

The incident wasn't seen by the referee, but the TMO then instructed the referee to take a look at it and Barrett was sent off.

Leading 17-7 at the break, the Blues clung on to win the bruising contest, successfully defending their line in the dying minutes for a historic victory.

The Blues were the first to score when Stephen Perofeta slotted a penalty in the 9th minute.

The Crusaders hit back through Will Jordan when he received a cut out ball from David Havili to touch down in the 18th minute.

The visitors overcame three yellow cards, two of which reduced them to 13 men for a period in the first half, to claim their sixth successive win.

The Blues defence was impressive, they didn't let the Chiefs score while they were missing players to the sin bin.

The Blues scored a length of the field try to Tom Robinson, which was sparked by Mark Telea and Rieko Ioane and included a Beauden Barrett cross-field kick.

It's the first time the Chiefs have failed to score a point in their 26-year history.