Sharks close in on Stormers as Blues march on

SYDNEY - The Auckland Blues maintained their lead in rugby's Super 15 competition this weekend as the Queensland Reds and Canterbury Crusaders boosted their playoff hopes with victories.

The Blues staved off a late challenge from the Wellington Hurricanes to win 17-11. They lead the southern hemisphere provincial championship overall and hold a three-point lead over seven-time champions the Crusaders in the New Zealand Conference.

Australia's dominant team Queensland are second, just two points behind the Blues, after a bonus-point 33-18 win over the Rebels in Melbourne.

The injury-hit Crusaders showed great resolve to finish 20-14 winners over the Stormers in Cape Town to complete the top three after 12 rounds.

The three conference winners qualify for next month's playoffs along with the next three teams with the highest number of points.

The Sharks closed to within four points of the Stormers after scoring 28 unanswered second-half points to conquer the ACT Brumbies of Australia 34-16 in Durban on Saturday.

New South Wales Waratahs nudged ahead of New Zealand's Otago Highlanders into the top six with a hard-fought 20-15 win over the Western Force in Sydney on Saturday.

The Highlanders lost ground with a 20-7 loss to the Waikato Chiefs in Hamilton.

In the weekend's other game, the Central Cheetahs tamed the Golden Lions 53-19 at Ellis Park, while defending champions the Northern Bulls had a bye.