Reece, Mo'unga star in Crusaders' seven-try Pretoria romp
JOHANNESBURG: Sevu Reece scored three tries and Richie Mo'unga two as the Canterbury Crusaders went on a seven-try Super Rugby romp to crush the Northern Bulls 45-13 in Pretoria Friday.
A large crowd flocked to Loftus Versfeld stadium on a balmy autumn night to watch a clash of the teams then first and second in the combined standings.
But many South African left long before the final whistle having seen the Crusaders outclass the Bulls in a mismatch involving teams who have won the championship 12 times between them.
While fly-half Mo'unga (20 points -- he also slotted five conversions) and Reece (15) did most of the damage, locks Mitchell Dunshea and Scott Barrett also scored a try each.
Bulls skipper and fly-half Handre Pollard converted a try by centre Burger Odendaal and kicked two penalties for the overwhelmed home side.
Equality lasted 14 minutes before Mo'unga took advantage of a favourable bounce to score and the New Zealand outfit established a 266 advantage by half-time.
Reece scored his second try before Odendaal barged over near the posts and Pollard added the extra points to leave 20 points between the teams.
The Crusaders responded with tries from Reece and Barrett to become the second Kiwi side to humiliate the Bulls in Pretoria this season.
Waikato Chiefs dished out a 5620 drubbing to the Bulls, who must face the Auckland Blues and Otago Highlanders during an Australasia tour starting next Friday.
Despite the scoreline, there will be areas of concern for Crusaders coach Scott Robertson as he prepares for a match against the Western Stormers in Cape Town next weekend.