Crusaders finish with flourish
The shortest day of the year couldn’t end quick enough for the Hurricanes yesterday as the Crusaders flexed their muscle and, eventually, pinched the points in Wellington.
Two late tries from Richie Mo’unga and replacement David Havili – three months after undergoing emergency bowel surgery – saw the red machine win 39-25 to open their Super Rugby Aotearoa account in style.
For the Hurricanes this will hurt more than the 30-20 loss to the Blues a week ago. They were right in it at 25-25 with 15 minutes left, mounted some spirited challenges but crucial dropped balls cost them late in the match.
An error from Kobus van Wyk also hurt them, when he flung a ball infield and Mo’unga pounced, breaking the deadlock with 12 minutes left. Then Havili stormed onto a short ball through a yawning gap to finish it.
With five tries to one the Crusaders were worthy winners while Jackson Garden-Bachop booted 20 points for the Canes.
Referee Brendon Pickerill’s whistle was, again, a big factor with 26 penalties blown and the Crusaders ending up with 14.
It may have been afternoon footy for the Hurricanes’ first home match since their loss to the Blues on March 7, but it was bonechillingly cold with the mercury barely in double figures.
No problem for the Crusaders who warmed the Cake Tin with a wonderful try to Sevu Reece inside the first minute after a Hurricanes botched lineout, their struggles from a week ago returning.
The All Blacks wing was a regular menace, and after a dazzling long-range leadup, new skipper Codie Taylor put him over in the right corner.
The Hurricanes tried to go wide at every opportunity with decoy runners and looked promising at times, but the red wall was hard to crack. The visitors, meanwhile, directed by Mo’unga were clever with switches and blindside snipes, and pierced the line with Taylor and even prop Joe Moody finding themselves in space.
Brayden Ennor dived over from a pinpoint Bryn Hall kick through and it looked ominous for the hosts.
But then the penalties started, a flood of them to the Hurricanes, as the tough breakdown rulings continued to make things stop-start.
The hosts won the first half count 10-4 with Garden-Bachop goaling four from close range, and potting a drop goal from another penalty advantage. But the Crusaders were scoring the tries, another gem from Jack Goodhue up the middle from a Will Jordan offload ensuring their 19-15 halftime advantage.
Somehow Pickerill resisted the urge to reach for his pocket before the break, but not after. Goodhue ran foul of the ref for offside inside his own 22m and saw yellow as Garden-Bachop goaled again for a one-point game.
The Hurricanes couldn’t punish the Crusaders for a man down and the visitors began getting
Ata glance
Crusaders 39 (Sevu Reece, Brayden Ennor, Jack Goodhue, Richie Mo’unga, David Havili tries; Mo’unga 4 con, 2 pen)
(Asafo Aumua try; Jackson Garden-Bachop con, 5 pen, dg). HT: 19-15.
25
Hurricanes
some Pickerill love, with Mo’unga goaling twice more to ease them out to a seven-point lead.
But the Canes weren’t going away and there was rustiness in the Crusaders, too. They swept back on attack, Ben Lam charging towards the corner then busy reserve hooker Asafo Aumua plunged over to the roars of the crowd for their first try. Garden-Bachop’s sideline conversion tied it up and set up a cracking finale in the last 15 minutes in which the Crusaders finished the stronger.