Crusaders show why they are still the team to beat
SUPER RUGBY MATCH REPORT: The Crusaders have survived an early-season fright from the Hurricanes to kick their 2022 campaign off with a 42-32 win in Dunedin.
While the scoreline indicates a typically dominant performance from the Crusaders, it took a big effort from the serial title-winners to get past the underdog Wellingtonians, who probably should have had the lead at half-time.
Despite an impressive opening spell from electric fullback Will Jordan and a rapid pair of tries to left wing Leicester Fainga’anuku inside the opening quarter of an hour, the Hurricanes managed to keep in touch through the boot of Jordie Barrett.
That kept the Crusaders’ margin limited to only six points as the clock neared the half-hour mark, and a cracking piece of counter-attacking play paved the way for young Hurricanes flyhalf Ruben Love to cross for his side’s first try to take an unlikely lead.
Love’s try came just moments after Barrett shanked an easy penalty shot at goal, which would have edged the Hurricanes into the lead at the break.
The same could also be said of the try-scoring efforts by Asafo Aumua and Ardie Savea, both of whom were denied five-pointers due to the desperate defence of the Crusaders, which boiled over when prop Oli Jager was sent to the sin bin.
Even with only 14 men on the field, though, the Crusaders managed to extend their lead when Fainga’anuku completed his hat-trick in the 51st minute, while Burke added a further eight points off the boot.
Savea looked to have scored what would have been a momentum-killing try of his own around the hour mark after a storming run up the middle of the park.
However, that was dubiously rubbed out after the TMO ruled that replacement prop Ben May – who, at 39-years-old, became the oldest player in Super Rugby history – had knocked the ball on during a scrappy piece of play from a midfield line-out.
The Crusaders responded by launching back down the other end of the field and scoring what proved to be the decisive penalty try when Braydon Iose was yellow-carded for collapsing a maul on his own tryline.
Burke followed Iose into the sin bin when he committed a cynical foul on Julian Savea, which the Hurricanes capitalised on by sending debutant and ex-Chiefs utility back Bailyn Sullivan over in the corner.
That, and the follow-up tries by Barrett and replacement flyhalf Jackson Garden-Bachop, was too little too late, though, as the Crusaders added to their lead late in the piece through a rolling maul try to reserve hooker Shilo Klein.
The result lifts the Crusaders to second on the Super Rugby Pacific table ahead of next Saturday’s South Island derby with the Highlanders, while the Hurricanes sit in 11th spot leading into their clash with the Blues next Sunday.
The scorers
For the Crusaders
Tries: Fainga’anuku 3, Penalty try, Klein
Cons: Burke 2, Hickey, penalty does not require a conversion
Pens: Burke 3
For the Hurricanes
Tries: Love, Sullivan, Barrett, Garden-Bachop
Cons: Barrett 3
Pens Barrett 2
Yellow cards: Oli Jager (Crusaders, 35 – repeated infringements, offside), Braydon Iose (Hurricanes, 65 – cynical foul, collapsing maul), Fergus Burke (Crusaders, 68 – cynical foul, playing the ball on the ground)
Teams
CRUSADERS: 15 Will Jordan, 14 George Bridge, 13 Braydon Ennor, 12 David Havili, 11 Leicester Fainga’anuku, 10 Fergus Burke, 9 Bryn Hall, 8 Cullen Grace, 7 Tom Christie, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Scott Barrett (captain), 3 Oli Jager, 2 Brodie McAlister, 1 Joe Moody.
Replacements: 16 Shilo Klein, 17 George Bower, 18 Tamaiti Williams, 19 Quinten Strange, 20 Mitch Dunshea, 21 Mitch Drummond, 22 Simon Hickey, 23 Sevu Reece.
HURRICANES: 15 Jordie Barrett, 14 Julian Savea, 13 Billy Proctor, 12 Peter Umaga-Jensen, 11 Wes Goosen, 10 Ruben Love, 9 Jamie Booth, 8 Ardie Savea (captain), 7 Du’Plessis Kirifi, 6 Devan Flanders, 5 Justin Sangster, 4 James Blackwell, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Asafo Aumua, 1 Pouri Rakete-Stones.
Replacements: 16 Jacob Devery, 17 Xavier Numia, 18 Ben May, 19 Reed Prinsep, 20 Brayden Iose, 21 Richard Judd, 22 Jackson Garden-Bachop, 23 Bailyn Sullivan.
Referee: Brendon Pickerill
Assistant referees: James Doleman, Fraser Hannon
By Alex McLeod, RugbyPass
