Crusaders confirm top position
Champions do justice to prop’s 200th match
An attacking masterclass from Richie Mo’unga helped the Crusaders to a classic victory over the Highlanders last night, enabling their veteran loosehead prop Wyatt Crockett to celebrate his remarkable milestone in suitable fashion.
Crockett, playing his 200th game for the Crusaders, did it the hard way, coming on after only five minutes for All Black Joe Moody, who left the field with a knee injury — the only jarring note for Scott Robertson’s men.
Their Christchurch fortress was renamed Wyatt Crockett Stadium for the evening and the big man put in a shift to do the honour justice.
There was plenty else to cheer for the red and blacks, not least Mo’unga’s brilliance in the No 10 jersey, which bodes well for the rest of the season, and the return of Kieran Read, whose class was obvious on his return from back surgery.
Mo’unga provided the cut and thrust and a clean pair of heels on several occasions but Read, who played 48 minutes before being replaced by Jordan Taufua, provided the heft and power. He is a quality player and although the Crusaders have done well in his absence, they look a far better team with the All Blacks captain at the back of their scrum.
The upshot of this victory, which appears far more one-sided than it was, is that the Crusaders can’t be overtaken at the top of the table and will hold home advantage for as long as they progress in the playoffs, and on this evidence, it will be a long way.
There is something in these two teams that brings out the best in each other. Last season, there were two classics, both won at the death by the Crusaders, and this was another — a try-fest which had the intensity and entertainment of 80 minutes of highlights.
The defending champions’ last loss came against the Highlanders in Dunedin in mid-March and this time, they had all the territory, possession and points in the first quarter before the visitors produced their almost inevitable comeback.
Mo’unga was a standout for the Crusaders but so was fullback David Havili, who had his best game of the season, and left wing George Bridge, who scored a double.
Scott Barrett, Sam Whitelock and the rest of the Crusaders pack were their usual immovable selves and the bottom line is that the red and blacks were simply too clinical.
The Highlanders, with Ben Smith at his never-say-die best, appeared to finish the first half with the momentum until one of the tries of the match scored more than a minute after the halftime siren by Scott Barrett which featured Crockett and a stunning run from in-form hooker Andrew Makalio.
The Crusaders rarely allow an opposition team to score just before halftime or straight afterwards and so it proved again, and Mo’unga’s try soon after the break was another stunner — a chip and chase from 40m after a breakout from a defensive scrum.
Ben Smith asked for more from his team after their poor performance against the Chiefs in Suva and he epitomised all that is good about this franchise. Favouring a right hand which he injured at the end of the first half, he had no right to get back to make the tackle on Fijian flier Manasa Mataele, but he did.
Crusaders 45 (George Bridge 2, David Havili, Scott Barrett, Richie Mo’unga tries; Richie Mo’unga 4 cons, 4 pens)
Highlanders 22 (Tyrel Lomax, Ben Smith, Waisake Naholo tries; Lima Sopoaga 2 cons, pen). Halftime: 25-17.