The Canterbury Crusaders yesterday steamrollered the Queensland Reds in a marauding second half to secure a 37-15 win in Christchurch and sail into Super Rugby Pacific’s semi-finals.
Will Jordan, Richie Mo’unga, Sevu Reece and Tamaiti Williams scored the tries for the hosts as they continued their 23-year domination of the Reds at their South Island fortress.
“I think you’ve got to be happy to earn another week,” Crusaders captain Scott Barrett said. “We’ve got to be better, if we’re going to be really honest with ourselves. The finals, the intensity and physicality goes up a level and we saw it tonight. It’s just the effort and winning small moments. It’s not just the pretty moments that the cameras see.”
Photo: AFP
The win was soured by a serious injury to flanker Ethan Blackadder, who came off grimacing and clutching his wrist near the hour mark.
Scott Robertson’s side are chasing a sixth championship trophy in as many years, but were well off their best in an opening half laden with handling errors and botched lineouts.
They still managed to carve out a 16-8 lead at halftime, courtesy of Jordan’s 15th-minute try and complete dominance of the Reds’ scrum.
Beaten 28-15 by the Crusaders at the same venue the previous week, the Reds worked hard to drag themselves back into the game.
Suliasi Vunivalu crossed in the 25th minute and fellow Fijian winger Filipo Daugunu’s converted try after halftime saw the Reds claw back to 16-15, but flyhalf Lawson Creighton shanked a penalty that would have put Queensland in front and it proved a turning point.
The Crusaders’ forwards went to work, destroying the Reds’ scrum to win a penalty meters out from the goal-line, paving the way for the recalled Mo’unga to canter over in the 57th minute.
The try broke open the game and the Crusaders were soon 13 points ahead after Reece’s sparkling 65th-minute try.
Mo’unga was again instrumental in the Crusaders’ play as he flung a long, looping pass wide to Havili, who dished off to Reece and watched as the winger’s fancy footwork put him through a tiring Reds defense.
Williams, a late replacement for Finlay Brewis, capped the win with the hosts’ fourth try, diving over from the back of a ruck five minutes from the siren.
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