WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The first really wet weekend in Super Rugby saw a reduction in scorelines and a rearrangement of the standings which leaves the defending champion Blues in playoff jeopardy.
The average points per match in the weekend’s 10th round, mostly played on soggy grounds, was 40.6. That’s significantly down on the ninth round, played mostly in dry conditions, where the average was 54 points
By way of comparison, the second round of the season played in summery conditions on hard grounds saw an average of 74.8 points per match.
The Hamilton, New Zealand-based Chiefs were the only team to flourish in the conditions, beating the Dunedin-based Highlanders 46-10 to return to the top of the competition table, edging the Crusaders on points differential.
The Christchurch-based Crusaders had gone to the top briefly when they beat the Auckland-based Blues 25-22 with a last-second penalty by former Wallabies flyhalf James O’Connor.
The 34-year-old O’Connor, who played the last of his 64 test for Australia in 2022, has become part of the discussion over who will wear the No. 10 jersey for the Wallabies against the British and Irish Lions in July.
The cool way in which he kicked the winning goal into the wind and in slippery conditions might interest Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt. If Schmidt wants a closer on the bench against the Lions, the experienced and composed O’Connor could be a good fit.
With their sixth loss of the season, the Blues slipped further out of the playoffs picture, dropping to eighth place.
Tricky conditions undid the New South Wales Waratahs, who lost 28-14 to the Fijian Drua in the heat and rain in Lautoka, falling back to sixth place. The Waratahs now have a bye weekend to regroup ahead of a key match against the Canberra-based Brumbies.
The Brumbies are in third place after an impressive 24-0 win over Moana Pasifika. It was only the second time in three years that Moana Pasifika has been held scoreless.
“They’re one of the best attacking teams in the competition, scoring more tries than anyone else in the second half,” Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham said. “We kept them to zero, and I thought the boys fronted up defensively.”
The Hurricanes are seventh, three points behind the Waratahs, after a 17-17 draw with the Western Force.
The contest for the New Zealand All Blacks’ No. 10 jersey for the July test series against France remains a tight one with six rounds left in the Super Rugby season.
Beauden Barrett, who appears to be the front-runner, was accurate with a slippery ball for the Blues against the Crusaders. He did a lot of important tidying up at the back, behind a sloppy Blues backline.
Damian McKenzie, his main rival, kicked five conversions and two penalties and was slick in the playmaking role for the Chiefs against the Highlanders. He was returning to flyhalf after playing the previous match at fullback.
McKenzie started at 10 in the All Blacks’ first seven tests in 2024 before Barrett took over.
Barrett was sidelined with a hand injury earlier this season and the Blues lost three matches in his absence. He has 63 points for the season so far. McKenzie has 117.
“I’m just enjoying playing footy at No. 10,” Barrett said. “Time in the saddle is nice. I’m grateful for the opportunities.”
Blues center Rieko Ioane is the latest All Black to take up the opportunity of a sabbatical from New Zealand rugby to play overseas.
Rather than heading to Japan, as is most common, Ioane will join Leinster in Ireland. He follows in the footsteps of his All Blacks midfield partner Jordie Barrett, who has been a star for Leinster this season.
Barrett said Ioane consulted him before deciding on his destination.
“He sounded me out and just asked a few questions,” Barrett said. “He’ll go great. It’s a great place to develop and he’ll see a lot of improvements up here as a player.”
AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby
FILE - Australia's James O'Connor runs during the second Bledisloe Rugby test between the All Blacks and the Wallabies at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand, Oct. 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Mark Baker, File)
Iran fired missiles at Israel and some Gulf nations while explosions could be heard around Tehran and the central Iranian city of Isfahan on Friday, as the United States prepared to further reinforce its already significant military forces in the Middle East.
As the war that began Feb. 28 was to enter its sixth week, Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait warned about incoming missile fire, although it was unclear if anything was struck. Activists reported strikes around Tehran and the central city of Isfahan but it wasn’t immediately clear what was hit.
Iran’s attacks on Gulf region energy infrastructure and its tight grip on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas transits in peacetime, has sent oil prices skyrocketing.
Oil prices surged while Asian financial markets rose moderately during cautious trading. Benchmark U.S. crude rose 11.4% to $111.54 a barrel. The price of Brent crude, the international standard, jumped 7.8% to $109.03 per barrel.
U.S. President Donald Trump said U.S. forces will keep hitting Iran “very hard” in the next two or three weeks.
The largest American aircraft carrier in service sailed out of Split, in Croatia and “remains poised for full mission tasking in support of national objectives in any area of operation,” the Navy’s 6th Fleet announced.
It was unclear where it was going. The USS Abraham Lincoln remains in the Arabian Sea and the USS George H. W. Bush aircraft carrier departed Norfolk on Wednesday to head to the Mideast.
Here is the latest:
Oil prices continued to surge on worries of a prolonged Iran war but the Asian markets that were open Friday rose moderately in cautious trading, while others were closed for the Good Friday holidays.
Benchmark U.S. crude rose 11.4% to $111.54 a barrel. The price of Brent crude, the international standard, jumped 7.8% to $109.03 per barrel.
The U.S. only relies on the Persian Gulf for a fraction of the oil it imports, but oil is a commodity and prices are set in a global market.
The situation is very different in Asia. Japan, for example, relies on access to the Strait of Hormuz for much of the nation’s oil import needs and would need to rely on alternative routes. But some analysts say Japan and oher nations are counting on an agreement with Iran to allow transports.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 gained 0.9% in Friday morning trading to 52,938.62. South Korea’s Kospi jumped 2.1% to 5,344.41. The Shanghai Composite sank 0.5% to 3,899.57. Trading was closed in Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Indonesia and India.
Wall Street, where trading is closed Friday, finished its first winning week since the start of the Iran war, although trading started out with a decline driven by a surge in oil prices.
Bangladesh is curtailing office hours and enforcing early closure of malls and shops beginning Friday to handle its energy crisis related to the war.
The country’s cabinet ordered 30% spending cuts for fuel and power at government offices, suspended some staff training and stopped purchases of new vehicles, ships and aircraft. Decorative lighting will not be allowed for celebrations.
Bangladesh, a nation of more than 170 million people, is seeking alternative fuel sources and $2.5 billion in external financing for imports, which account for 95% of its fuel.
Australian Energy Minister Chris Bowen on Friday urged motorists getting away for a long weekend during the Easter holiday to fill up in cities because most of the nation’s fuel shortages are in rural areas.
Among 2,400 gas stations in New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, 182 had run out of diesel by Friday.
In Australia’s second-most populous state, Victoria, 76 gas stations were out of diesel. In the remaining states ranked by the most populous first, Queensland had 75 stations without diesel, Western Australia had 37, South Australia had 28 and in Tasmania there were seven.
“For those Australians planning a road trip this weekend, given our shortages are predominantly in rural and regional Australia, it makes sense to fill up in the city to help the country if you can,” Bowen said in Sydney.
The government, which blamed regional shortages on panic buying and distribution problems, is concentrating on delivering fuel to farmers for planting crops.
Mohammad Qubaisi, 53, with burn wounds from an Israeli airstrike on southern Lebanon undergoes surgery by Dr. Mohammed Ziara, left, and his team, at the Sidon Government Hospital in Sidon, Lebanon, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Israeli security forces and rescue teams inspect a site struck by an Iranian missile in Petah Tikva, Israel,Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
A newly constructed bridge struck by U.S. airstrikes Thursday is seen in Karaj, west of Tehran, Iran, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
A newly constructed bridge struck by U.S. airstrikes Thursday is seen in Karaj, west of Tehran, Iran, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
A bridge struck by U.S. airstrikes on Thursday is seen in the town of Karaj, west of Tehran, Iran, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Israeli security forces and rescue teams inspect a site struck by an Iranian missile in Petah Tikva, Israel,Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Members from the Popular Mobilization Forces attend a funeral of fighters who were killed in a U.S. airstrike, in Tal Afar, Nineveh province, north of Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
A man with burn wounds from an Israeli airstrike on southern Lebanon sits on a bed at the Sidon Government Hospital in Sidon, Lebanon, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
A boy who fled with his family following Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon sits inside the van they are using as shelter in Sidon, Lebanon, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
President Donald Trump arrives from the Blue Room to speak about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)
