Crusaders gathering momentum
The team from Christchurch put in an impressive performance to beat the Lions 43-37 in Johannesburg on Friday, which means that they have won their lost four games in row since their loss to the Chiefs in the opening round.
Their performances in South Africa, which included a 19-14 win over the Sharks in Durban, was an ominous warning to their future opponents.
"I think we are building nicely," said Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder after his team's victory over the Lions.
"It was two massive efforts on the road.
"We knew the Lions are one of those teams that will attack from anywhere and it probably showed at half-time when they had 70 percent possession.
"We prepared really well for it. We knew it was always going to be a tough game and it took some real attitude to win."
Despite running into some good form, Crusaders captain Kieran Read said they are not going to get ahead of themselves.
"It's only four wins in the five games we played," said Read.
"There is plenty more to go in this competition. I think it's important to win those tough battles. Fortunately we done that in the last two weeks and we just got to keep building as a team."
Despite the Lions scoring four tries in an entertaining game, Read praised his team's defence.
"We really had to work hard for each other. The Lions attacked from everywhere. They put a lot of pressure on us in that first half.
"They scored a couple of easy tries, but when we got our line set I thought we defended really well," Read added.
The Crusaders now head to Perth to face the Western Force this coming Friday.
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