Chiefs secure Super Rugby top spot, Crusaders win battle for second

SYDNEY :Lock Tupou Vaa'i scored a hat-trick of tries as the Waikato Chiefs locked up top spot in the Super Rugby Pacific standings and home advantage throughout the playoffs with a 41-21 victory over the Otago Highlanders on Friday.

The second-placed Canterbury Crusaders later closed out their regular season by edging the third-placed ACT Brumbies 33-31 in a Canberra thriller to ensure New Zealand teams would own the top two in the standings for a fourth straight year.

The Chiefs, runners-up for the last two seasons, thrashed Moana Pasifika 85-7 last weekend and looked like running rampant again at Dunedin Stadium when they scored three tries, two from Vaa'i, in the first 13 minutes.

The young Highlanders side gradually worked their way back into the contest, however, and co-captains Ethan de Groot and Timoci Tavatavanawai both scored tries to cut the deficit to 19-14 at halftime.

Scrumhalf Xavier Roe raced away down the blindside to give the Chiefs the perfect start to the second half and replacement back Manasa Mataele gave them a 31-17 lead heading into the final quarter, but the Highlanders would not lie down.

Sam Gilbert ran onto a clever Tanielu Tele'a kick to score a try in his final appearance for the Highlanders seven minutes from time and they would have got closer had Cortez Ratima not come up with a brilliant try-saving cover tackle.

All Black Vaa'i was not done yet, however, and he pounced on a loose ball from a goal-line drop out in the final minute to condemn the Highlanders to the wooden spoon for the first time since the second season of Super Rugby in 1997.

"Although the game wasn't perfect, we got the win," said Chiefs captain Luke Jacobson.

"We got the four points, and we're at the top, and we can change