MO’UNGA MAGIC

Richie Mo’unga sure did his best to silence any remaining detractors during Saturday night’s triumphant Super Rugby Aotearoa final.

You don’t need to dig deep to find people who believe the Crusaders and All Blacks pivot goes missing in big games, particularly when donning the black jersey.

However, if his performance in the Crusaders’ 24-13 win against the Chiefs in the decider in Christchurch wasn’t standing up in a big game, what is?

Mo’unga was sublime as rain tumbled out of the Christchurch sky when the Crusaders were on the ropes, clinging to a 15-13 lead with team-mates Codie Taylor and Sevu Reece in the bin.

The Chiefs were sniffing a remarkable upset with 20 minutes to play. That is until Mo’unga swung the game the way of the hosts with a series of clutch plays after Chiefs utility Damian McKenzie kicked the ball his way.

Mo’unga started fading towards the sideline with the ball still in the air, before gobbling up the pill and making a couple of players miss tackles as he powered the Crusaders inside the 22.

‘‘Yeah, what a play, what a player. That’s freakish,’’ Crusaders coach Scott Robertson said.

A moment later, he banged over a drop goal, before pinning the Chiefs deep inside their 22 with a booming punt which beat McKenzie into touch.

You could sense the Chiefs’ bubble bursting.

‘‘Then he backed it up later when he kicked long, made that tackle, and we turned it over. They are some quarterback plays. He’s special,’’ Robertson said.

Mo’unga, who added two late penalty goals to ice the game and finish with 14 points, also provided the peach of a cut-out ball to put Reece over for the game’s opening try, which he converted from out wide.

Speaking after the game, the satisfaction pumping through the Christchurch product’s veins was evident.

‘‘Man, honestly, just in awe of this team and what it’s achieved the last five years. I really wanted this one really bad, eh. And it just feels so good. And I said to a few of the boys in there, just don’t underestimate what we’ve done, because it’s a hell of an achievement,’’ he said.

The Crusaders are 57-5 when Mo’unga has played since 2017, and he was also clutch in the team’s home finals in 2018 and 2019, against the Lions and Jaguares, respectively.

‘‘It’s just what we do as Crusaders. It’s what we love, the big stage, we love finals footy. To break it down even more, it’s built on pressure and care, that’s what our team thrives on,’’ Mo’unga said.

‘‘I want to see where I can influence the team positively. In big games like this, you need your big players to stand up, and for me I love that pressure, I love that ability to try and take control.’’

Mo’unga saved special praise for David Havili, who was again superb in the midfield, where he’s been forced to play despite openly preferring fullback.

Havili, who set up Will Jordan’s first half try with a sweet grubber kick, is the form midfielder in the country, and is knocking loud on All Blacks coach Ian Foster’s door.

‘‘It’s just been awesome playing inside him, he’s got the best skills in the team, passing and kicking, it’s nothing new. We all knew he was capable of this.’’