Crusaders too strong for South Africans

Eighth title secured in style for the side from New Zealand

The Canterbury Crusaders showed all their precision and guile to claim an eighth Super Rugby title with a 2517 victory over South Africa’s Lions at Ellis Park yesterday.

Tries from Seta Tamanivalu, Jack Goodhue and Kieran Read extended the Crusaders’s record as the competition’s most successful team.

The Lions played for 41 minutes with 14 men following a red card for Kwagga Smith, and hit back with two tries in the final 15 minutes through Malcolm Marx and Corne Fourie to add some life to the closing stages.

But the Crusaders closed out the match to become the first side to cross the Indian Ocean and win the Super Rugby final.

The Lions are still waiting for their first title, having now been losing finalists twice running, in what was the final match in charge for coach Johan Ackermann, who will join English side Gloucester.

The home side had plenty of possession in the first half but found the Crusaders defensive wall impenetrable. By contrast, the visitors displayed their clinical touch with two tries inside the opening 12 minutes.

The first showed all their quality in turning defence into attack as Lions fly-half Elton Jantjies was sacked on the Crusaders’ 22 and Tamanivalu picked up the loose ball to race down the touchline and score to silence the home crowd .

The New Zealanders added a second minutes later when they took the ball through the phases.

With the Lions scrambling in defence, Goodhue dived over in the corner.

The game then swung heavily in the favour of the Crusaders with a red card for Smith a minute before halftime.

Smith pulled out of an attempt to challenge David Havili in the air from a Jantjies up-and-under, and succeeded only in upending Havili in the air, resulting in the Crusaders’ fullback falling dangerously to the hard Highveld turf.

Referee Jaco Peyper had little option but to flash the red card and the Lions would play the remainder of the game with 14 men.

Read scored under the posts to extend the Crusaders’ advantage before Marx burrowed over to bring the home side to within 15 points.

Prop Fourie later burst over the tryline to restore some life in the match with five minutes to play.

But the Crusaders managed to slow the game down and successfully see out the remaining minutes without alarm.