Christchurch, New Zealand – All Blacks captain Kieran Read scored two tries and flyhalf Dan Carter kicked 18 points, surpassing 1,500 points in Super Rugby, as the Crusaders took a vital bonus point from a 43-15 win over defending champions the Chiefs 31-8 on Friday.
The Crusaders' win, and the five championship points they took from a pivotal match, all but sealed their bid for a play-offs place and kept alive their ambitious challenge to the Chiefs' first place in the New Zealand conference.
The Hamilton-based Chiefs started the match 10 points ahead of the Crusaders with two regular season rounds remaining but could now be ousted from first place in New Zealand if they fail to take a point from next weekend's match against the Auckland-based Blues. – Sapa-AP