Crusaders rue lost point

Crusaders coach Scott Robertson admits his side’s game management left something to be desired after letting a vital Super Rugby Transtasman bonus point slip from their grasp.

The Crusaders beat the Western Force 29-21 in Christchurch on Friday night but a try to the Force in the final 10 seconds meant the Crusaders did not earn a bonus point for scoring three tries more than their opponent.

It took flawless execution on a cross-field kick from Force secondfive Kyle Godwin to put winger Jordan Olowofela away in an empty backfield as Crusaders fullback Will Jordan had made a tackle and was stuck at the breakdown.

However, the opportunity was perfectly presented to the Force as, rather than grind out the final 30 seconds of the match, the Crusaders looked to add to their score to improve their points differential in the penultimate round of the season.

Deep inside the Force 22m, substitute hooker Andrew Ready got over the ball after a Jordan run, claiming the turnover and igniting the counter-attack, which ended with the Olowofela try.

“We talked through all the scenarios if we were up and what that would look like. Five points is five points, and 15 up, you could walk out after a dogged performance against the Force but we were still trying to score and they got a great turnover,” Robertson said.

“Obviously they were staying in the fight, so we could’ve been better with our game management.”

Losing the bonus point saw their quest for the title take another hit, although their prospects improved greatly after the Hurricanes lost to the Brumbies in Canberra last night.

The Crusaders remain one point behind the Blues on the table and are level with the Highlanders but have the worst points differential of the three teams.

Coming into the round trailing the Blues and the Hurricanes on the ladder, Robertson said coming away with only four points against the Force likely took his side’s playoff hopes out of their control ahead of the final round of the tournament.