Wet weather rugby shakes up the Super Rugby standings and sees the Blues slip

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Wet weather rugby shakes up the Super Rugby standings and sees the Blues slip

2025-04-20 09:34 Last Updated At：09:51

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

Thousands of nurses go on strike at several major New York City hospitals

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.