Champion Chiefs defeat Crusaders in the first Super Rugby match
substitute for five-eighth With 12 minutes remaining, the Crusaders had narrowly gained the advantage after coming back from a 17-point halftime deficit, but Josh Ioane scored two penalties in the final five minutes to seal the victory on Friday.
The Chiefs led 27-10 at halftime at Waikato Stadium thanks to some Damian McKenzie magic and scores from flanker Kaylum Boshier, halfback Xavier Roe, and explosive winger Etene Nanai-Seturo.
The Crusaders, who are vying for their eighth consecutive Super Rugby crown this season, rallied with two tries in three minutes from fullback Chay Fihaki and captain Scott Barrett to trim the lead to 27-22. McKenzie, who had started at five-eighth, hobbled off shortly after the interval.
After Scott Robertson left for the All Blacks, the visitors, playing in their debut Super Rugby encounter under Rob Penney, looked to the Crusaders’ signature qualities of breakdown physicality and scrum power to slow down the game.
Referee Nick Berry, who had just stopped Scotland from winning the Six Nations against France, ruled the ball had been held up over the line, denying them a try.
However, the Crusaders took the lead for the first time at 29โ27 when Fihaki ran a fantastic line and rushed in for a converted try shortly afterward.
The Crusaders had the upper hand, but Nanai-Seturo’s incredible 50-22 eventually allowed Ioane to give the Chiefs their first points of the second half and take the lead once and for all.
Luke Jacobson, the captain of the Chiefs, stated, “It wasn’t going to be easy.” “It took a little bit to get a bit of momentum back, but once we did, we held onto it and managed to get a couple of three-pointers over.”
Barrett claimed that the first half saw too many mistakes made by the Crusaders. “They carve you up when they’ve got a lethal back three like they have,” the All Blacks lock remarked. “An attempt was made. This will teach us a lot, and we’ll improve moving forward.”