Crusaders try everything but come up short
Hands up if you picked the Highlanders to be undefeated and leading the New Zealand conference after three games.
The Highlanders beat the Crusaders 25-17 in an electric South Island derby in Dunedin last night, just their third victory over their rivals in the past 11 games.
It backed up their round one win against the Blues, and last week’s win against the Stormers, giving first-year head coach Aaron Mauger a dream start to his tenure.
He also got one up over the team he played for 82 times, and Crusaders coach Scott Robertson, who he played alongside for both the Crusaders and the All Blacks.
He’ll credit his team’s gutsy scrambling defence, and ability to overcome the loss of wing Waisake Naholo, who clobbered Heiden Bedwell-Curtis with a high shot and was yellow carded early in the second half.
They outscored the reigning champions three tries to two, a surprising stat given the Crusaders chalked up almost 200 more the first time since he took over at the start of last season.
The Crusaders, who were without eight injured All Blacks, including captain Sam Whitelock, will no doubt look back at the window just before halftime and feel the urge to reach for a paper bag.
They thought they’d taken a 15-14 lead when Jordan Taufua touched down after lock Scott Barrett, of all people, started a sweeping counter-attack.
But the Highlanders, and their rowdy fans, sniffed a Tim Bateman knock-on a couple of phases before Taufua looked to have punished the Highlanders after Aaron Smith coughed up a ball at the other end.
And didn’t Highlanders cocaptain and fullback Ben Smith remonstrate with referee Nick Briant, who awarded the try.
Smith, who has never been shy of letting a referee know his feelings, may as well have been shackled to Briant, before he finally decided TMO Glenn Newman should swing into action.
Much to the Highlanders’ delight, the try was rubbed out and they quickly hoofed the ball into touch