Crusaders dump more misery on the Blues
- NZ Sports Wire
- Mar 23
- 4 min read
The Crusaders have further dented the Blues' Super Rugby Pacific title defence aspirations with a 42-19 win.
Outside of the first few minutes, it was one-way traffic at Auckland's Eden Park on Saturday night in Round 6 as the Crusaders sent a message to the rest of the competition.
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Both teams found themselves changing their teams, with hookers Codie Taylor and Kurt Eklund ruled out after Wednesday’s team naming.
Eklund’s replacement, James Mullan, found himself in the thick of the action early when he broke the line in the third minute, handing off to skipper Dalton Papali’i for the opener.
This woke up the Crusaders, who responded through try-scoring halfback Kyle Preston from close.
The Crusaders surprised plenty with the dropping of five-try hero Macca Springer to the bench but it paid dividends when returning wing Chay Fihaki split the defence and sprinted through the hole to give the visitors the lead.
Rob Penney’s side kept the pressure on and were rewarded when prop Tamaiti Williams barged over from close for a 17-7 lead after 25 minutes.
Taha Kemara’s boot extended the advantage by three more at the break, with Fihaki’s second adding to the Blues’ punishment.
The hosts were stuck in a spiral as second-rower Laghlan McWhannell went to the bin for a cynical foul.
The Crusaders pounced and their rolling maul drove over the top of the Blues, Tom Christie the man to dot it down.
The Blues eventually found something for the Eden Park crowd to cheer when Marcel Renata dived over under the posts.
But it was the Crusaders’ night as Springer got in on the attack off the bench, with Will Jordan crossing to seal the win in the final play of the game.
A Filipo Daugunu double and a huge shift from the forward pack has powered the Queensland Reds to a comeback win in Dunedin against the Highlanders.
The Reds' scrum has powered a season-defining 29-23 comeback win at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Saturday afternoon that was 12 years in the making.
The win came without rested captain Tate McDermott, injured star flankers Liam Wright and Fraser McReight (shoulder) and test hooker Matt Faessler (leg).
The visitors defied some early pressure to lead 12-0 before conceding 20 straight points when unforced errors and missed tackles crept in.
But the Reds, powered by reserve prop Alex Hodgman, turned to their scrum in a pulsating second-half effort that moved Les Kiss's side to 4-1.
Hodgman's 30-minute masterclass left Highlanders prop Saula Mau in tatters as Queensland's set piece spearheaded their first win at the venue since 2013 and just the Reds' third win in New Zealand, against Kiwi opponents, in their last 27 games.
In his first game as Reds captain, Wallabies skipper Harry Wilson was inspirational, plucking a crucial late turnover, charging into the line and adding a deft kick ahead that led to their decisive final try.
Outside centre Daugunu scored twice and was formidable in defence, the Reds following his lead to produce consecutive turnovers once they hit the lead with 17 minutes to play
But it was their scrum that made the difference, the Reds able to steady behind their reliable set-piece superiority that yielded four penalties inside 11 minutes.
That led to a yellow card for All Blacks prop Ethan de Groot, who felt the pressure and gave away a penalty at the breakdown and created the Reds the platform to surge clear.
Tries to Anderson and Daugunu - the latter's coming after Tim Ryan sped through the line and Wilson kicked ahead - put the Reds clear.
The host's only second-half points came courtesy of penalty kicks, the second of those after the bell with victory out of reach. Their inability to penetrate was at shocking odds to their first-half form, when scintillating wing Caleb Tangitau burst out of the blocks.
Denied a brilliant first-minute try when his chip ahead narrowly went into touch, the former rugby sevens star was robbed of another when replays showed an accidental offside in the build up.
They led 17-12 at that stage, Reds wing Heremai Murray yellow-carded for a deliberate knock down and the visitors reeling.
Tanielu Tele'a and captain Timoci Tavatavanawai crossed for the Highlanders, who had forced five consecutive penalties out of the Reds and were calling all the shots.
But the visitors showed tremendous resolve to stop the bleeding and then turn the screws after the break to earn a bonus-point win.
Crusaders 42 (Kyle Preston, Chay Fihaki 2, Tamaiti Williams, Tom Christie, Macca Springer, Will Jordan tries; Taha Kemara con, pen, James O’Connor con) Blues 19 (Dalton Papali’i, Marcel Renata, Finlay Christie tries; Xavier Taele con, Harry Plummer con). HT: 20-7
Queensland Reds 29 (Kalani Thomas, Richie Asiata, Filipo Daugunu 2, Lachie Anderson tries; Tom Lynagh 2 con) Highlanders 23 (Timoci Tavatavanawai, Tanielu Tele’a tries; Taine Robinson 2 con, 2 pen, Sam Gilbert pen). HT: 12-17