Crusaders 20
NSW Waratahs 12
View photosKEY POINTS:
The Crusaders claimed their seventh Super Rugby title last night and gave departing coach Robbie Deans the sendoff he was after.
As usual, it was grit, patience, determination and clinical execution that brought the home side the win.
That and a strange reluctance by the Waratahs to kick the ball out of defence.
Instead, they frequently tried to run from deep when it was never on, were gobbled up by a rushing Crusaders defence and punished for a tactic that was more stupid than brave.
That's been the Crusaders' way for the past 10 years and Richie McCaw's side were not going to deviate.
There was emotion swilling around - not only was Deans on a farewell, so too were Reuben Thorne and Caleb Ralph, the two most experienced Crusaders of all time and it was most likely the last games for Greg Somerville, Mose Tuiali'i and, for a while at least, Dan Carter.
The pace was furious and the intensity unwavering. And it needed to be, as the Waratahs were just as up for it.
They more than played their part in making this one of the best finals in Super Rugby history.
Young Lachie Turner scored two opportunistic tries in the first half that were only possible because of the thumping power of the visitors' collective defence and the speed and craft of the wing.
The Crusaders also had to dig in for a critical 20-minute period in the second half.
That was when the Waratahs were at their best, when they used the running strength of Wycliff Palu, Rocky Elsom and Lote Tuqiri to accelerate the Crusaders' tackle count.
It was also the period where the Crusaders were reduced to 14 men, when Brad Thorn was sent to the bin. His crime was supposedly throwing a punch at opposite Dan Vickerman but no one other than the officials saw it and no TV footage was shown of the infringement.
Nevertheless, Thorn had to take 10. More galling for the ultimate professional was that his punch was supposedly thrown at the beginning of a move that ended in Wyatt Crockett scoring a try that was disallowed.
Had it counted, the Crusaders would have gone 19-12 ahead with the conversion to come and would have felt a little easier about the final quarter.
Instead, they had to weather an onslaught while Thorn was off the field. That they managed to keep the Waratahs scoreless during that period was a remarkable effort.
It wasn't just the tackling that was top drawer. There was some stunning work at the breakdown where many men in red managed to play pickpocket and cleverly and legally pinch the ball when the danger was rising.
There was one edgy moment when Sam Norton-Knight slipped through a couple of tackles but that was it.
In 10 minutes, they missed just two tackles and the Waratahs must have known they had blown the best opportunity they were ever going to have of walking away with the trophy.
And if they didn't know then, they must have had a better inkling on 68 minutes when Dan Carter dropped a goal to make it 17-12.
Thorn was back on by then and everyone could sense the momentum was back with the home side.
There is an old saying about World Cup football that two teams play for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans win.
Well, it's a bit like that with the Crusaders. After Carter dropped his goal, the Crusaders continued to lap up wave after wave of Waratahs attacks. The men in blue would go down and after not making much in the way of progress, the ball would come back to the home side.
They are the masters at absorbing pressure, keeping cool and then picking their moment to land the sucker punch.
For the Waratahs, that sucker punch came with five minutes remaining when Phil Waugh was penalised for holding back Scott Hamilton when the Crusaders wing didn't have the ball.
Carter, without missing a beat, stroked it over and that was it. That gave the Crusaders an eight-point lead with five minutes to go. They were never going to lose from there.
Crusaders 20 (M. Tuiali'i try; D. Carter 4 pens, DG) Waratahs 12 (L. Turner 2 tries; K. Beale con). HT: Waratahs 12-11.
