VIDEO: Crusaders singing in the rain

The three tries to one victory in a wet Christchurch means the defending champions (on 50) have moved five points clear of their nearest rivals, the Hurricanes.

The Lions (who are in second place as a result of the conference system) come in a distant third on 36 points.

It was one of those games that, because of the atrocious weather conditions, turned into a battle of attrition – with heavy rain restricting play mostly to the forwards for large periods.

The Crusaders had a chance to take the lead in the fifth minute, when Ardie Savea infringed at a ruck, but Richie Mo'unga's penalty attempt was wide of the mark.

The home side eventually took the lead in the 24th minute when they set up a couple of phases from a line-out deep inside the Hurricanes' 22, before Scott Barrett barged over from close quarters for the opening try.

Mo'unga added the extras, but the Hurricanes narrowed the gap shortly afterwards when Jordie Barrett landed a monster penalty from the halfway line.

The next 10 minutes was a slugfest, as both sides tried to gain the ascendancy.

However, a Beauden Barrett penalty in the 37th minute was the only points scored during the rest of the half which meant the Crusaders held a slender 7-6 lead at the interval.

The tight nature of this game continued in the second half although the Crusaders were unlucky not to score their second try in the 47th minute – when David Havili was held up by a superb tackle from Julian Savea as he crossed the Hurricanes tryline.

Referee Angus Gardner ruled that the visitors had strayed offside on defence and Mo'unga slotted the resulting conversion to extend the Crusaders' lead.

And the home side pulled further ahead in the 51st minute when Michael Alaalatoa crashed over for their second try after the ball went through several phases, close to the Hurricanes tryline, in the build-up.

That try seemed to add a spring to the Crusaders' step and they were the dominant side for the next 20 minutes.

And they were rewarded with their third try in the 65th minute when Heiden Bedwell-Curtis made a break off the back of a scrum on the Hurricanes' five-metre line and burst through a tackle from Thomas Perenara before dotting down.

To their credit, the Hurricanes did not surrender and in the 72nd minute Reed Prinsep ran onto an inside pass from Ardie Savea, just outside the Crusaders' 22 and beat three defenders on his way over the try-line.

That try added some respectability to the score but it came too late as the Crusaders held on for the win.

Man of the match: It is not the players' fault, but the conditions made for a scrappy affair. We felt Crusaders coach Scott Robinson deserves the accolade – for his amazing enthusiasm in the box. His passion was there for all to see.

The scorers:

For the Crusaders:

Tries: S Barrett, Alaalatoa, Bedwell-Curtis

Cons: Mo'unga 3

Pen: Mo'unga

For the Hurricanes:

Try: Prinsep

Con: B Barrett

Pens: J Barrett, B Barrett

Teams:

Crusaders: 15 David Havili, 14 Seta Tamanivalu, 13 Jack Goodhue, 12 Tim Bateman, 11 George Bridge, 10 Richie Mo'unga, 9 Bryn Hall, 8 Jordan Taufua, 7 Matt Todd (captain), 6 Heiden Bedwell-Curtis, 5 Quinten Strange, 4 Scott Barrett, 3 Michael Alaalatoa, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Wyatt Crockett.

Replacements: 16 Andrew Makalio, 17 Chris King, 18 Donald Brighouse, 19 Luke Romano, 20 Pete Samu, 21 Mitchell Drummond, 22 Mitchell Hunt, 23 Braydon Ennor.

Hurricanes: 15 Nehe Milner-Skudder, 14 Julian Savea, 13 Jordie Barrett, 12 Ngani Laumape, 11 Ben Lam, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Thomas Perenara, 8 Blade Thomson, 7 Ardie Savea, 6 Brad Shields (captain), 5 Sam Lousi, 4 Michael Fatialofa, 3 Jeff Toomaga-Allen, 2 Ricky Riccitelli, 1 Toby Smith

Replacements: 16 James O'Reilly, 17 Chris Eves, 18 Ben May, 19 Murray Douglas, 20 Reed Prinsep, 21 Finlay Christie, 22 Ihaia West, 23 Jonah Lowe

Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)

Assistant referees: Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand), James Doleman (New Zealand)

TMO: Aaron Paterson (New Zealand)