Hurricanes 13 Crusaders 20
View photosKEY POINTS:
For two days the rugby invitation list met in Wellington to thrash out ideas about how to run the game. On the third day in the same city the Crusaders showed how to play the game.
They arrived with suggestions they could shed their unbeaten season record but only if the Hurricanes fixed a substantial to-do directory, which included setting a stable scrum, retaining their discipline and possession instead of being lulled into poor tactical kicking or sloppy attacks.
The notion of a local victory was probably about as fanciful as chief executive Steve Tew walking from the NZRU summit down the road and declaring that forum had sorted out the administrative and financial ills infecting the code.
But the Crusaders needed a sackload of late fortune when Andrew Hore was denied a try because of obstruction and Tane Tuipulotu shelled an intercept collect as the game started to lose its shape when the fatigue levels rose. Those pieces of luck were balanced by the final quarter loss of Daniel Carter with a knee injury and when Mose Tuiali'i went to the bin for a professional foul, the Hurricanes sensed their opportunity. Hore powered over from a lineout drive, the momentum built and the Crusaders looked briefly vulnerable.
They regathered their aplomb to show why they are the most capable side in the Super 14, not invincible but desperately difficult to beat.
It took the Hurricanes about eight seconds to comprehend that mission when visiting skipper Richie McCaw pilfered the kick off from the hometown grasp. The pain continued when the ball squirted loose from a ruck near the Hurricanes line and Corey Flynn collected the second-minute converted try.
There was no let up in a match where the furious intensity was many notches higher as many of New Zealand's better players compared their mid-season pedigree. The Crusaders' aces were their structure, forward cohesion and the judgements they made on attack.
The Crusaders' scrum made tasty inroads while in midfield Casey Laulala made several strong bursts which produced momentum and a Daniel Carter penalty success. The only trouble for the visitors were several crooked lineout throws from Flynn but those mistakes were soon overturned.
Cool thinking when they returned a wonky Hurricanes kick found Tuiali'i whose grubber kick bounced wickedly to elude Rodney So'oialo in cover and sat up for a following Ali Williams to score. Several Jimmy Gopperth penalties went astray and the Crusaders were comfortably ahead 17-3 at the interval.
They had a battle after the break with a Carter penalty their only return as the Hurricanes increased the tempo before they eventually perished like every other side before them this season.
Crusaders (C. Flynn, A. Williams tries; D. Carter 2 con, 2 pen)
Hurricanes (A. Hore try; J. Gopperth con, pen, P Weepu pen) Halftime: 17-3
