The action played out in the early stages of the second half, initially between Crusader Will Jordan and Hurricane Ruben Love, but eventually drawing in many other players.
Love had tried to kick the ball into his own half but failed and it rolled dead.
He’d attempted a 50-22 kick but the ball stayed in play when it bounced in-field and dribbled towards the dead-ball line.
As Jordan hovered over the ball, waiting for it to cross the line, Love came flying in with a low tackle and thumped him to the ground.
The skirmish was over as quickly as it started. No one was injured and no further action was taken.
Jordan debuted for the All Blacks in 2020. Love was first named in the squad in 2024.
The Crusaders took the win at fulltime but were threatened with a late collapse.
A comfortable win had looked likely when they led 31-10 with 15 minutes to play.
They had controlled most of the contest and it seemed just a matter of managing the game to the final whistle.
Scott Barrett of the Crusaders, Hurricanes v Crusaders, round 9 of the Super Rugby Pacific competition at Sky Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand on Friday 11 April 2025. Photo: Elias Rodriguez / Photosport
However, the hosts began to claw their way back into it through No 8 Peter Lakai’s 65th-minute try, before two yellow cards for the visitors in the final 11 minutes left them in a precarious position.
They weren’t helped by a couple of errors and penalties that brought the pressure on to them, but their defence was immense to close out a 31-24 win.
“[It took] everything but the kitchen sink, I think,” Jordan told Sky Sport after the final whistle. “Honestly, we were holding on for dear life, down to 13, the Hurricanes came with ... momentum at the end there, at home; it’s the nature of the competition at the moment, it’s tough.
“I’m proud of our forward pack for getting a stop at the end there and getting the job done. We’ll learn a lot from that.”
