Crusaders 18 Sharks 10
KEY POINTS:
The Crusaders all but sealed a home semifinal by beating the Sharks 18-10 in a rainy Christchurch tonight.
The win kept them on top of the table on 47 points and only nearest rivals, the Waratahs, have a realistic chance of taking the minor premiership off them.
The loss plunged the Sharks deeper into a dogfight for a semifinal place, as they emerged without a point and remained in a tie for third with the Chiefs.
The Crusaders did a huge favour for New Zealand sides the Chiefs and Hurricanes, who are in hot pursuit of a top four finish, with South Africa's Stormers also contenders.
For the Sharks, unbeaten after eight matches, it was their third loss in a row after going down to the Brumbies and Waratahs in Australia.
In the process, the Sharks continued their record of never having won in Christchurch.
Props Greg Somerville and Wyatt Crockett, who replaced Ben Franks, scored the Crusaders' tries.
No 8 Ryan Kankowski replied for Sharks in a fiercely-contested battle on a rainy night.
The Crusaders took an early lead with a Stephen Brett penalty and were rewarded with a try in the 18th minute after sustained pounding at the Sharks' line.
An initial dab from a ruck close in by halfback Andrew Ellis was repelled but Somerville muscled over to score.
Brett added the points for a 10-0 lead which the Sharks could not close after missing a couple of easy penalties by first five-eighth Ruan Pienaar and halfback Rory Kockott.
The Crusaders were playing with their usual authority -- attacking with width and penetration while defending solidly which left few gaps for the Sharks to exploit in the greasy conditions.
A mistake by Brett, kicking the ball out on the full at a 22 re-start, gave the Sharks a golden opportunity which Kankowski took brilliantly.
Off the back of the resultant scrum, Kankowski batted away weak tackles by Richie McCaw, Brett, Casey Laulala and Leon MacDonald as he surged for the line for a try which Kockott converted.
The teams exchanged penalties for a 13-10 halftime scoreline but almost on the hooter, McCaw was sinbinned for a professional foul in front of the sticks.
However, the Sharks were unable to benefit from McCaw's absence in the second half.
Although they dominated territory and possession for long periods, even after McCaw returned to the fray, they found the opposition defence hard to prise open.
With five minutes to go, the Crusaders launched a counter-attack that ended with Crockett getting the nod from the television official after winning the chase for a loose ball in the scoring zone.
Sharks skipper Johann Muller said the Crusaders' win was built on their defence.
"Their defence was unbelievable in the last 10 minutes of the second half," he said.
"We wanted to put them under pressure in the second half which we did, but we just couldn't turn that into points."
Having achieved just a win and a draw from five consecutive away games, he said the team would now look to take 10 points from their remaining two games at home and hope to make the playoffs.
McCaw, pleased that the Crusaders had secured a top four finish, felt his side's defence was key to the game.
"We started well but did not take the opportunities.
"The Sharks are a good team and we had to fight for everything we got tonight.
"The defensive effort was great with some big hits going in -- that's where games are won or lost."
Crusaders 18 (Greg Somerville, Wyatt Crockett tries; Stephen Brett pen, con)
Sharks 10 (Ryan Kankowski try, Rory Kockott pen, con)
Halftime: 13-10
- NZPA
