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All Blacks No 8 Kieran Read has been ruled out of Super Rugby for a minimum of four weeks after partially tearing ligaments in his big toe.
Read suffered the injury in the Crusaders' 55-20 victory over the Southern Kings in Christchurch on Saturday.
The Kings next face the Hurricanes in Wellington this weekend, no-doubt bouyed by their gutsy display against the seven-time champion Crusaders.
Meanwhile: Wallabies backs Kurtley Beale and Cooper Vuna have been sent home from South Africa by the Melbourne Rebels and face further sanctions from the Australian Rugby Union after an incident on the team bus at the weekend.
The incident came in the wake of a record 64-7 drubbing for the Rebels in their match against the Sharks in Durban on Saturday night.
The Cheetahs return home triumphant with three wins on the trott following a hard-fought 19-10 win over the Western Force in Perth on Saturday night.
The Stormers put their critics to rest with a crucial 35-22 win over the Brumbies at Newlands while the Bulls were edged 23-18 by the Reds in Brisbane.
In the Vodacom Cup, SWD beat the Boland Cavaliers 44-12 in Robertson. The Pampas XV took out the Border Bulldogs 45-26 in Stellenbosch and the EP Kings lost 43-18 to Western Province in Port Elizabeth.
