Toulouse hit by double injury scare

TOULOUSE'S hopes of beating Munster in the semi-finals of the European Cup next week suffered a double injury scare at the weekend when two of their key players limped off the field in the French championship play-offs.

Veteran stand-off Yann Delaigue was taken off in the 24th minute of the 55-33 win at Pau suffering from a thigh injury while winger and skipper Emile N'Tamack was replaced because of a shoulder injury in the 56th minute by Vincent Clerc.

Despite the injuries, Toulouse remain on course for the semi-finals.

They have seven points and they lead Pool A by points difference from Bourgoin and defending champions Biarritz.

Biarritz lost 14-6 at Bourgoin to add to the misery of being knocked out of the European Cup by Leinster.

In Pool B, Stade Francais kept up their one-hundred percent record with a 23-12 win at Leinster's Heineken Cup semi final opponents, Perpignan, while Agen defeated Grenoble 25-16 on Saturday.

Meanwhile in Super 12 action, the Auckland Blues and Wellington Hurricanes underlined their credentials for this year's tournament with come-from-behind victories at the weekend.

The Blues, trailing the mid-table Western Stormers for much of the first half in Cape Town, hit back to retain their one-point advantage over the Hurricanes at the top of the standings.

Auckland eventually overpowered the Stormers to go on and win 36-8 for their seventh win in eight games in this campaign.

The Hurricanes finished like a whirlwind to overcome a 15-6 half-time deficit and down fellow New Zealanders Otago Highlanders 37-15 in New Plymouth.

Defending champions Canterbury Crusaders remain in third place, but only confirmed their 23-18 win over South Africa's Natal Sharks with a try three minutes from time at home.

Last season's finalists ACT Brumbies swept aside the New South Wales Waratahs 41-15 in Canberra to keep their finals' hopes alive ahead of their formidable closing three games against in-form New Zealand teams.

The Auckland Blues were second-best to the Stormers for much of the first half with the home side grabbing an 8-3 advantage after 30 minutes when loose forward Hendrik Gerber dived over.

Scheming fly-half Carlos Spencer kicked two penalties to give the Blues a flattering 9-8 half-time advantage but they applied the pressure in the second term.

The Stormers buckled, failing to score while the Blues ran in four tries, three from turnover ball, to collect five points - four for winning and one for scoring four tries.

The Hurricanes were also in strife against the Highlanders, but they turned the game after trailing 6-15 at half-time by scoring 31 unanswered points to pick up a bonus point for scoring four tries.

Wellington adopted Otago's style of play by moving the ball wide swiftly.

Saturday night's win, their seventh in a row, earned the Hurricanes a semi-final spot. They have a bye next weekend before they take on the Brumbies in Wellington and the Blues at home.

A try three minutes from time score by number eight Sam Broomhall secured victory for the Crusaders, who struggled to impose themselves on the Sharks. Missing injured All Blacks flyhalf Andrew Mehrtens and suspended Justin Marshall, the Crusaders trailed 6-3 at half-time and had forwards Norm Maxwell and Richie McCaw in the sin bin.

But Canterbury fought back and gradually discovered their rhythm and in the final 10 minutes, with the reserves racing on at every breakdown, the Crusaders finally clicked into gear.