VIDEO: 'We gave it everything'
SUPER RUGBY REACTION: ‘Gutted’ Lions captain Warren Whiteley admitted his team were beaten by the better team in the Final.
Richie Mo’unga pulled all the strings as the Crusaders beat the Lions 37-18 to claim a ninth title and their second in a row against the Lions in Christchurch on Saturday – in a rematch of the 2017 Final.
The defending champions, who started as red-hot favourites, produced a heroic defensive effort with Mo’unga clinically engineering the points when chances arose.
The flyhalf had a hand in all the scoring moves as the Crusaders led 20-6 at half-time and then responded with a try after both of the Lions’ tries in the second period.
The Lions captain, Whiteley, acknowledged the Crusaders were deserving Super Rugby champions.
The visitors monopolised possession – winning more than 60 percent of the rucks and line-outs, while the hosts also conceded 15 penalties to the six of the Lions.
Not the outcome we wanted, but proud to play for you.
Thanks for your support all season long.#LetsUnite #CRUvLIO #Final80Minutes pic.twitter.com/p0U1IgRn9g— Emirates Lions (@LionsRugbyCo) August 4, 2018
Whiteley conceded that the Crusaders’ ability to deal with “the kitchen sink” made them worthy winners.
“I’m immensely proud,” Whiteley said of his team.
“It’s been unbelievable the last couple of years.
“I’m obviously gutted, a bit emotional to be honest, but just immensely proud of each and every individual.
“We gave it everything out there,” the skipper said of the loss in a third consecutive Final.
“Credit must go to the Crusaders, to [Crusaders captain] Sam [Whitelock] and his team, they were unbelievable.
“Everything we threw at them, they stopped.
“We tried everything, threw the kitchen sink at them.
“They deserve this win, but I’m immensely proud of our boys.”
The Crusaders captain, Whitelock, also had some words of praise for the Lions.
“It was an outstanding season for the Lions and they deserved to be in the final for a third year in a row,” Whitelock said.
It was a tough encounter and our boys gave it their all. Here are some photos of the final.
📸: Getty Images#LetsUnite #CRUvLIO #Final80Minutes pic.twitter.com/8xyink9oJR— Emirates Lions (@LionsRugbyCo) August 4, 2018
The Crusaders outscored the Lions by four converted tries to two and man-of-the-match Mo’unga added three penalties as Super Rugby’s dominant side stretched their winning streak to 15 matches.
The Lions have a reputation for being slow starters, as they were in last year’s Final in Johannesburg – when they trailed 3-25 at half-time and lost 17-25.
But a year on, they were fired up at the start and applied the early pressure.
Ruan Combrinck sliced through Kieran Read and Sam Whitelock on a 40-metre dash to the line, where the Lions pounded the Crusaders defence for 10 minutes.
But the best they could achieve was three points from an Elton Jantjies penalty.
The Crusaders struck back immediately with a penalty from Mo’unga, whose overhead pass then put Seta Tamanivalu over in the corner.
A raking Mo’unga kick and a Jantjies error won the Crusaders a five-metre scrum which led to Mo’unga’s second penalty, before the flyhalf took a high ball under pressure and launched a counter-attack that led to David Havili’s try.
After Jantjies and Mo’unga traded penalties either side of half-time, Cyle Brink scored the Lions’ first try to close the gap to 23-13.
While the Crusaders were primed to protect their line, they were also ready to strike back when necessary.
Mitchell Drummond went under the posts to reopen a 17-point margin, and when Malcolm Marx scored for the Lions – with the Crusaders’ Ryan Crotty in the sin bin – the home side effectively sealed the victory with a try to Scott Barrett.
A couple of old boys happy with that result, well done @crusadersrugby pic.twitter.com/4PNcFrrr9X
— Dan Carter (@DanCarter) August 4, 2018
