Crusaders win Ellis Park thriller
Whew! It was a breathless match. It had a breathless start and in the last moments of the match everybody in Ellis Park was still breathless.
The referee's whistle went twice in the first four minutes – each time to signify tries. When it went for the third time, it was for a drop-out. The first whistle for an infringement came after seven minutes and then it was a scrum for a knock-on.
The match was wonderful to start with and wonderful to end with as the Lions came gallantly back.
You did not have to be diehard or a connoisseur to know that this was a special match, the star of 2016 Super Rugby.
In the end the better side won, and they were better because they took their chances better, winning turnovers and avoiding tackles when it mattered most.
The Crusaders kicked off and they scored after 45 seconds of to and fro, and they did so off a turnover. Elton Jantjies was tackled, the Crusaders got the ball and out it went wide left to massive Nemani Nadolo who played inside to Ryan Crotty who scored the first try of his first hat-trick in his Super Rugby career. The conversion hit the upright and stayed out.
The Lions won the kick-off and attacked. Ruan Combrinck did a scissors with Lionel Mapoe and cut through. He ran up to David Havili and passed to Mapoe who had a free passage to the try-line. Jantjies converted and after four minutes the Lions led 7-5.
Then the Crusaders attacked but Lions had a drop-out which they did cleverly.
The scrumming in the match were ghastly. The divots that the Ellis Park turf yielded did not help much. It is astonishing that a stadium dedicated to rugby could have such a fragile surface. It looked good but in fact was poor. In the second half a scrum lasted just under four minutes and ended with a penalty and a squabble. In the match there were 10 scrums with nine resets, 10 collapses, four penalties and a free kick. And yet the match brushed this aside as a slight inconvenience and got on with the game.
The Lions put together several (unprofitable) phases and then Faf de Klerk threw a long, looping pass towards Courtnall Skosan but Johnny McNicoll intercepted and raced 65 metres down the right wing for a try which 21-year-old Richie Mo'unga converted. 12-10 after 12 minutes.
Then it was the Lions turn to score – just a penalty this time when Matt Todd obstructed and Jantjies goaled. 12-10 after 15 minutes.
There was the full splendour of handling in the next try. It started when Kieran Read won a turnover off Howard Mnisi and the ball went left with much interpassing amongst the Crusaders with their flypaper hands, till Wyatt Crockett took a popped pass from Scott Barrett and powered over as Andries Coetzee tried to tackle him. 19-10.
The Lions had a long period of close attack, which included four line-outs and a scrum within 10 metres and then when they bashed from the last line-out Jantjies came sweeping round on the blindside, on advantage, and raced over for a try right in the corner. He then converted with a magnificent kick. 19-17 after 28 minutes. Then three minutes later he kicked a penalty goal and the Lions were leading 20-19.
The Crusaders nearly scored when right wing McNicholl breached the defence and gave to Nadolo who stumbled as he ran over Coetzee but Skosan, over from the left wing, knocked him into touch.
But on the stroke of half time, the visitors did score, a penalty this time when Mapoe was offside. That made the half-time score 22-20 to the Crusaders and the crowd let out their breath and started breathing normally again.
The Crusaders were even more purposeful in the second half and two Crotty tries in the space of three minutes took the score to 36-20.
After Mapoe had had an excellent run out of his 22, the Crusaders came back a attacking. A penalty gave them a line-out and they played flat from it as Crotty burst past Mnisi on a short pass and then swerved past Skosan for a try near the posts as Warren Whiteley tackled him.
The second try came when De Klerk, who had an uncharacteristic game of errors, kicked downfield. McNicholl raced and jumped and thrust ahead. From him the ball went wide left to Nadolo who was not at all troubled by a half-hearted attempt by Mnisi before passing, as Combrinck tackled him, infield to Crotty who trotted round behind the posts. 36-20 after 50 minutes.
Both sides made substitutes, the Crusaders starting after just 49 minutes.
Near the half-way line the Crusaders hands, for once, let the down and Mapoe came away with the ball and passed inside to compact hooker Akker van der Merwe who raced 40 metres downfield for a try far out on the right. 36-27 after 64 minutes.
Two minutes later the Crusaders had scored again. This time the turnover was off Van der Merwe and the Crusaders went right where McNicholl got ahead in a halfgap and gave to substitute scrumhalf Mitchell Drummond who scored. 43-27, and still there was no end to the exciting endeavour.
The Lions attacked and were right at the line when the Crusaders were penalised and Dillon Smit tapped and was over but lost the ball in doing so. The Crusaders were not back five metres from the tap and so were penalised again. Again Smit tapped and this time gave it to Van der Merwe who burst the defence asunder and smashed his way over for a try. 43-34 with 9 minutes to play.
The Crusaders were first to attack but then the Lions were back at their line. Smit was over but held up.
The final siren had sounded when the Crusaders were penalised for a late tackle and Jantjies kicked over for a bonus point.
It was the only bonus point of the match but each of the sides deserved a lot more by way of a bonus for the wonderful game they played.
Man of the Match: Resisting all temptations to make 46 players the Men of the Match we have chosen smiling Ryan Crotty for his work on attack and defence – and three splendid tries.
The scorers:
For the Lions:
Tries: Mapoe, Jantjies, Van der Merwe 2
Cons: Jantjies 4
Pens: Jantjies 2
For the Crusaders:
Tries: Crotty 3, McNicholl, Crockett, Drummond
Cons: Mo'unga 5
Pen: Mo'unga
Teams:
Lions: 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Ruan Combrinck, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Howard Mnisi, 11 Courtnall Skosan, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Francois de Klerk, 8 Warren Whiteley (captain), 7 Warwick Tecklenburg, 6 Jaco Kriel, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Andries Ferreira, 3 Julian Redelinghuys, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Dylan Smith.
Replacements: 16 Armand van der Merwe, 17 Corne Fourie, 18 Ruan Dreyer, 19 Ruan Ackermann, 20 Cyle Brink, 21 Dillon Smit, 22 Jaco van der Walt, 23 Rohan Janse van Rensburg.
Crusaders: 15 David Havili, 14 Johnny McNicholl, 13 Kieron Fonotia, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 Nemani Nadolo, 10 Richie Mo'unga, 9 Andy Ellis, 8 Kieran Read (captain), 7 Matt Todd, 6 Jimmy Tupou, 5 Scott Barrett, 4 Luke Romano, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Wyatt Crockett.
Replacements: 16 Ben Funnell, 17 Joe Moody, 18 Mike Alaalatoa, 19 Sam Whitelock, 20 Jordan Taufua, 21 Mitchell Drummond, 22 Ben Volavola, 23 Sean Wainui.
Referee: Stuart Berry
Assistant referees: Craig Joubert, AJ Jacobs
TMO: Johan Greeff
