Crusaders make it eight with 2017 title

‘‘My next priority is just to make the plane.’’

With those words Scott Robertson kicked-off what promised to be the mother of all parties in Johannesburg.

Having signed-off his spectacular first year as Crusaders coach with a 25-17 victory over the Lions in the Super Rugby final at Ellis Park yesterday, Robertson and his mates were entitled to really get things humming in the City of Gold.

Almost 61,000 people crammed into massive arena to cheer, coax, cajole - anything to help their fellow South Africans earn the Lions their first title - but instead they were forced to swallow the bitter medicine that was issued by the New Zealanders.

First they watched referee Jaco Peyper red card Lions flanker Kwagga Smith for taking Crusaders fullback David Havili out in the air, reducing their team to 14 for the last 42 minutes.

Then, despite Lions front rowers Malcolm Marx and Corne Fourie late scoring tries, they saw captain Jaco Kriel choke back the tears in a post-match interview.

And to compound their misery there was the sight of the Crusaders starting their celebrations, cheering on Robertson as he got stuck into his celebratory dance routine.

‘‘Oh look the ‘Hoo-hay Razor’ song comes out at the end of these campaigns and I am more than happy to do that when we have situations like that,’’ Robertson said. ‘‘The boys start singing and you get a bit of an old twinkle in your toes, and off you go.

‘‘It is a great way to finish off the campaign.’’

Yes, it is. Under the new coaching crew of Robertson and his assistants Leon MacDonald, Brad Mooar and Jason Ryan the Crusaders lost just one game this season, against the Hurricanes in their final round-robin game.

A week ago they flew to Johannesburg determined to break a title-winning drought that stretched back to 2008, and Robertson took great satisfaction from being able to deliver so many All Blacks in his squad their first title.

Robertson, a loose forward, won four titles between 1998-2002 under former coaches Wayne Smith and Robbie Deans. Now has done the double - the first person to claim crowns as a player and coach.

‘‘It is massive me,’’ he said. ‘‘I played for eight years. I was the most capped Crusader when I left with 86 games.

‘‘It is something I actually regretted, going to Perpignan. I wanted to be the first Crusader to get to 100.

‘‘And now to come back as a coach, I have hit the 100-mark in being involved in the Crusaders and to win a fifth title . . . it has helped. The questions were in my head, and I have answered a couple of them for sure.’’

Many doubted whether the rookie coach could guide the team to a title in their first year. That was used as fuel to motivate his players.

Winning in Jo’burg - the Crusaders have become the first foreign side to win a title on South African soil - surely means this is the club’s greatest of title wins.

Playing at altitude could have made this Mission Impossible.

Instead the superblyconditioned Crusaders, bolstered by a game plan to score early points, attack the Lions’ lineout throws through a recentlychanged strategy and to go to the bench early, did the business.

The Crusaders were so close to running out of petrol, relying on grit and courage to hang on.

The result may have been different if Smith had not been sent off, or if Janse van Rensburg had held the ball when seemed he certain to score in the 69th minute.

Ahead 25-10 when van Rensburg spilled the ball, the Crusaders conceded a try to Corne Fourie with seven minutes left, but had done enough to survive.

‘‘Phenomenal,’’ Robertson said in reference to his players resolve in the tackle.

‘‘Defence wins championships and it won us the game tonight.’’