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At Orangetheory Stadium, Christchurch: Crusaders 42 (David Havili try 9min, Codie Taylor try 21min, Mitchell Drummond try 27min, Fergus Burke try 37min, Richie Mo’unga try 59min, Sione Havili Talitui try 78min; Mo’unga 6 con) Waratahs 18 (Jake Gordon try 13min, Dylan Pietsch try 55min, Nephi Leatigaga try 75min; Ben Donaldson pen). HT: 28-8
Yellow cards: Leicester Fainga’anuku 12min (Crusaders), Joey Walton 33min (Waratahs).
Crusaders fans can start planning for a home quarterfinal in a fortnight.
In a glowing advertisement for afternoon rugby, the Crusaders beat the Waratahs 42-18 in Christchurch on Saturday to take a giant step towards locking up the second seed.
They would all but lock that in with a Chiefs win over the Brumbies in Canberra later on Saturday night, ensuring they’d be entitled to a home semifinal if they progressed beyond the opening round of the playoffs.
In other words, job done in their final home match of the regular season, ensuring the Waratahs are still chasing their first win in Christchurch since 2004.
However, the win may have come at a hefty cost, given All Blacks midfielder David Havili, No 8 Cullen Grace and flanker Christian Lio-Willie all limped out of the match.
Lio-Willie turned in arguably his best performance in his rookie season before he got dinged up, carrying with venom and producing a fine offload in the lead up to Havili’s early try.
Sione Havili Talitui and lock Sam Whitelock also carried superbly against a big Waratahs pack, impressing on a night World Cup winning All Black and Blues centurion John Afoa made his debut for the already injury-ravaged team.
Joe Allison/Getty Images
John Afoa, playing his first game in NZ since 2011, became the oldest player (39) in competition history when he debuted for the Crusaders against the Waratahs on Saturday.
The 39-year-old Afoa, who last played Super Rugby in 2011, started at tighthead prop and got through 49 minutes, becoming the oldest player in competition history in the process.
The Crusaders ran in six tries to three on a mild evening, none better than the peach Mitchell Drummond finished on the back of a generous Richie Mo’unga pass.
But it was the work of fullback Fergus Burke which started it, when he produced a scorching run from the back, before Leicester Fainga’anuku bumped off a tackle and produced a fine offload for his inside backs to cash in.
They should have scored more, too, only for Havili and captain Codie Taylor’s hands to let them down.
Playing without rested captain Scott Barrett, their lineout also let them down on a couple of occasions inside the opposition 22, while their over-eagerness also led to questionable decision-making as they attempted to turn the screw against the only Australian team that’s beaten them under head coach Scott Robertson.
Mo’unga scored his 31st career try, becoming the first player in competition history to slot 300 conversions after knocking over all six attempts.
The Waratahs were a handful out of the gates. Led by powerful No 8 Langi Gleeson and big-bodied lock Jed Halloway, they repeatedly clattered over the advantage line and stressed the hosts’ defence.
Joe Allison/Getty Images
Cruasders pivot Richie Mo’uga scored 17 points against the Waratahs on Saturday in Christchurch.
It resulted in a string of offside penalties in the opening quarter of an hour, and a yellow card to Fainga’anuku, who was moved to centre ahead of kickoff after Braydon Ennor (foot) was scratched.
Brumbies halfback Jake Gordon made the hosts pay on the scoreboard immediately, darting down the short side on the back of a rolling maul to cancel out Havili’s early try.
However, it was almost all the Crusaders from that point.
The big moment
Sione Havili Talitui’s try from close-range in the final minutes stitched up the bonus point, improving their tally to 47 competition points on the season.
Joe Allison/Getty Images
Crusaders fullback Fergus Burke produced a fine performance against the Waratahs in Christchurch on Saturday.
Match rating
8/10. More afternoon rugby, please. It helped that it was a mild Christchurch evening, but there was some quality rugby played by both sides.
MVP
Fergus Burke. The specialist 10 was again excellent at fullback, running for 99 metres on 13 carries, scoring a try and setting another up. He was also safe as houses under the high ball.
The minutes he is racking up this season bode well for the post Mo’unga era.
The big picture
The bruised Crusaders have more injuries to nurse. More reason to think they might rest bodies next week, as long as they are locked in as the No 2 seeds.
As for the Waratahs, their four-match winning streak is over. Not that it matters, playoff footy is a given.
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