Crusaders beat Bulls 33-14 in Super Rugby

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AP) Center Jack Goodhue scored two tries as the Christchurch-based Crusaders beat the Pretoria-based Bulls 33-14 on Friday to avoid a third straight loss in Super Rugby.

The Crusaders, coming off losses to New Zealand rivals the Highlanders and Hurricanes - their first back-to-back defeats in almost three years - played efficiently with a minority share of possession to score five tries to two in a rain-drenched match at Christchurch.

In the only other match Friday, the Melbourne Rebels rebounded from their first loss of the season last weekend with a six-try, 46-14 win over South Africa's Sharks.

The Rebels led 15-7 at halftime but dominated the final 40 minutes over the Durban side. The win kept the Rebels firmly in first place in the Australian conference with 20 points, an eight-point lead over second-place Queensland.

At Christchurch, Goodhue operated almost as a proxy loose forward in the slippery conditions, showing his strength to score a try in each half.

The Bulls, who have now lost their last four games, should have achieved more from a heavy surplus of possession in the first half. But they were denied by a determined defensive effort from the Crusaders, who gradually brought the game under control after conceding a heavy penalty count, and one yellow card, before halftime.

The Bulls, in turn, made too many errors in the second half to close the 21-point gap the Crusaders enjoyed after 49 minutes.

''I think the conditions made the rugby pretty tight but we adapted as the game went on,'' Crusaders captain Sam Whitelock said.

The Crusaders led against the run of play with a try in the 15th minute to lock Scott Barrett, whose successful drive for the line from a lineout and rolling maul was confirmed with the television referee.

Hooker Codie Taylor drove over in similar circumstances in the 27th minute before winger Travis Ismaiel defied the conditions to score a brilliant try for the Bulls, stepping past three tacklers.

Goodhue powered through tackles at close range to score his first try in the 38th minute, to give the Crusaders a 21-7 lead at halftime. He then scored in the ninth minute of the second half to make it 28-7 and to put the game out of the Bulls' reach.

Marco Van Staden scored a fine solo try on debut to cut the lead to 28-14 before winger George Bridge scored in the 73rd minute to seal a bonus point for the Crusaders.

''I think we didn't convert our chances,'' Bulls captain Burger Odendaal said. ''In the first half we had a couple of opportunities and the Crusaders sent us away a couple of times. If we had got points on the board it would have been a different ball game.''