Defending Super Rugby champions the Crusaders yesterday lost for the second match in a row, beaten 25-17 by the Dunedin-based Highlanders.
After last weekend’s 29-19 loss to the Wellington-based Hurricanes, the injury-hit Crusaders were again outplayed by a New Zealand rival, scoring first before losing the lead in the 10th minute and trailing for the remainder of the match.
In a later match in Canberra, Australia, the ACT Brumbies beat the Durban, South Africa-based Sharks 24-17 after leading at halftime 10-3.
Photo: AFP
The Highlanders, with three consecutive wins to open the season, scored three tries to two, including one try while they were reduced to 14 men by the sin-binning of All Blacks winger Waisake Naholo. They were then nudged ahead by crucial late penalties to flyhalf Lima Sopoaga.
The Crusaders’ major injury loss was their captain, Sam Whitelock, ruled out with with concussion symptoms.
“We knew it was going to come down to the wire,” Highlanders captain Ben Smith said. “I think at times we were able to play smart rugby. We lost [Naholo] and we adjusted well. There are going to be times when that’s going to happen and things aren’t going to go well, but we’re still learning, and it’s early in the competition.”
The Crusaders played some superb and creative rugby at times, but the Highlanders were able to exert more control, especially in the critical late stages of the second half.
A few critical moments separated the teams, especially when the Crusaders had a try to backrower Jordan Taufua disallowed immediately before halftime, when the video referee detected a knock-on late in the scoring movement.
Crusaders captain Matt Todd said the Crusaders created chances, but could not take them.
“When we created those chances, we didn’t make the last pass or the last pass wasn’t really on and that really cost us,” Todd said. “We felt good in our attack at the end of the first half and felt if we could hold the ball we could create pressure, but we created the pressure and didn’t get points from that.”
In Canberra, the Brumbies evened their season record at 2-2 ahead of a bye next weekend.
Switching captain Christian Lealiifano to inside center and putting Wharenui Hawera at No. 10 worked well — Hawera slotted all of his four penalty kicks.
Henry Speight scored an early second-half try, but the Sharks’ Thomas du Toit crossed for a converted try not long after to keep the visitors close.
The Melbourne Rebels could join the Highlanders with perfect records and improve to four wins without a loss if they beat the New South Wales Waratahs today.
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