Crusaders 33 Hurricanes 22
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The Robbie Deans Crusaders era will last one more week after his team outgunned the Hurricanes 33-22 in a remarkably lop-sided Super 14 rugby semifinal in Christchurch tonight.
The final scoreline didn't reflect a match completely dominated by the hosts which will see them host the final next Saturday and give them a shot at a seventh Super rugby title.
It would be fifth for coach Deans, before leaving to begin a four-year tenure as Australian coach.
His team conceded the first try inside two minutes but from then there was no doubt about who would prevail as the Crusaders played with a verve and accuracy a world apart from last weekend's 14-26 final-round loss to the Highlanders.
They dominated the breakdown, held nearly every pass and kicked and chased superbly.
On the rare occasion they didn't have possession they suffocated the Hurricanes of room, forcing the visitors to defend all evening, almost entirely inside their own half.
Tries under the crossbar either side of halftime to fullback Leon MacDonald sealed the result and it was a testament to the Hurricanes' desperation that there was just one more, to flanker Kieran Read, while they crossed for two of their own in the dying moments.
Crusaders First five-eighth Daniel Carter kicked 18 points in a seven-from-seven goalkicking display.
It continued the Crusaders' Super rugby playoff dominance over the Hurricanes, having now beaten them in the three semifinals and one final in which they have met - all in Christchurch.
There were two black marks on the evening for the hosts.
They will almost certainly be without veteran hooker Corey Flynn for the final after he left the game in the 12th minute with a suspected broken arm. He was replaced by the impressive Ti'i Paulo.
And the game was watched by a disappointingly-small crowd of 18,000 at the 26,000-capacity AMI Stadium.
The Hurricanes dearly missed the leadership of injured captain Rodney So'oialo, the industrious All Blacks No 8 ruled out with a rib injury 24 hours before kickoff.
The helter-skelter nature of the game began from kickoff.
The first phase lasted one minute and 48 seconds and ended in a try to teenage Hurricanes winger Zac Guildford, who charged down a sluggish clearance from Carter and tracked the ball 20m to the tryline.
The visitors barely had a look-in for the remainder of the opening half, spending a massive 19 minutes camped inside their own 22m area.
Carter kicked penalties in the fifth and 15th minutes although Hurricanes halfback Piri Weepu reclaimed the lead for his side with a penalty. It was to be their final score.
The dam finally burst 2min before the break when MacDonald sliced between forwards Chris Masoe and Jeremy T hrush to cap a long period of pressure.
It was an enormous psychological blow as the Hurricanes had somehow led despite a massive deficit in territory and possession.
The one-sided pattern continued in the second spell although it nearly opened with a Guildford try again but he was bundled out in the corner by opposite Kade Poki.
MacDonald snatched his second when he barged over in the combined tackle of locks Thrush and Jason Eaton for his 41st Super rugby try, all-but snuffing out any hope of a comeback.
Read showed power to drive over with 18min remaining while their other points came from two more Carter penalties.
Down 8-33, the Hurricanes garnered some pride through tries to Thrush, who pounced on Masoe charge down of a Stephen Brett clearance, and reserve prop Neemia Tialata.
The Crusaders will play either the New South Wales Waratahs or Sharks, depending on who wins tonight's second semifinal in Sydney.
Crusaders 33 (Leon MacDonald 2, Kieran Read tries; Daniel Carter 4 pen, 3 con) Hurricanes 22 (Zac Guildford, Jeremy Thrush, Neemia Tialata tries; Piri Weepu pen, Jimmy Gopperth con, Jerry Collins con). Halftime: 13-8.
- NZPA
