The Wellington Hurricanes kept the Super 14 semifinals in sight when they comfortably held off the struggling Golden Lions 38-12 here Saturday. The bonus-point win lifted the Hurricanes from fifth past the Coastal Sharks and into the top four as they cashed in on the favor done for them on Friday by their southern neighbours the Canterbury Crusaders. The Crusaders inflicted a third successive defeat on the Sharks and kept themselves firmly on top of the ladder while throwing open the contest for the remaining three play-off spots. The Hurricanes were not at their best in their first game back home after their South African tour but as expected they were, for the most part, far too good for the Lions who remain firmly entrenched at the bottom of the table. The Hurricanes scored three tries in building a 26-7 lead by half-time but they then went off the boil and it was not until the final quarter before scoring the bonus point. In Perth the Northern Bulls needed two drop-goals in persistent rain to record just their fourth win of the year when they edged the New South Wales Waratahs 16-13 in a Super 14 match at Loftus Versfeld. The defending champion, the Bulls, who've enjoyed a rather dismal season, moved into 10th place on the Southern Hemisphere inter-provincial rugby competition's points table, while the Waratahs stayed second after collecting a bonus point and remain on course for the semifinals. In Perth, Wallaby flyhalf Matt Giteau kicked a penalty just before the whistle to give the Perth-based Western Force a thrilling 22-21 win over the Waikato Chiefs. The Chiefs, who took a bonus point from the match, stayed in fourth position but could slip to fifth by the end of the round. In Cape Town, the Stormers climbed to fourth with a 20-10 victory over the ACT Brumbies. The South Africans scored all their points in a 15-minute purple patch in the first half before holding on as the Brumbies hit back with two tries in the second period. The Stormers's fifth successive victory was also their first over the Australians for 10 years. The Brumbies scored their first points 15 minutes into the second half when center Tyrone Smith evaded two tackles to set up a try for winger Adam Ashley-Cooper. Lock Peter Kimlin reduced the deficit to 10 points with a consolation touchdown in the dying minutes. In South Africa, the Otago Highlanders recovered from 14-11 behind at halftime to beat South Africa's Cheetahs for only their second win this season on Friday. It was another close defeat in a frustrating season for captain Juan Smith and his Bloemfontein men who themselves have won just once this season and are second
