Semis place in balance

Brumbies lock Mark Chisholm (right) tries to wrestle the ball off Mose Tuiali'i last night. Ross Land / Getty Images

Crusaders 33 Brumbies 3

The Brumbies face an anxious weekend to see if the Sharks or Bulls overtake them in the chase for the last Super 14 semifinal place.

The Brumbies lost their chance to seal their destiny when they were unable to collect a point from their final round match with the Crusaders at Jade Stadium last night. Now they must wait to see if the Sharks or Bulls can achieve maximum point victories and eat into the Brumbies significant points differential.

The Crusaders and Brumbies spent a sodden evening duelling for what may yet be a rematch next weekend. It is rare for there to be two winners in one match but that possibility remains if the South African sides fluff their lines.

The Crusaders confirmed their victory with a glorious length of the field try to replacement flanker Tanerau Latimer in the final minutes as they opened up a massive margin on the Brumbies.

Victory left the Crusaders as top qualifier and guaranteed the franchise a $600,000 windfall for hosting one of the semifinals next week. The Brumbies left as a loser but may still earn the right to contest that playoff as the last side to avoid the chasing contenders.

The sparring was intense for the first half but the Crusaders had the edge.

Their forwards were a tighter unit and presented a more compete scrum although they spoiled some of their work by not protecting the ball well enough against the scavenging talent of George Smith. But on a night made for forwards, when relentless industry rather than flashy ideas was rewarded, the Crusaders pack crunched on remorsely.

Behind that endeavour, first five-eighths Dan Carter broke down the Brumbies resistance even further as he gained enormous metres with his tactical punting. After a surprise opening miss, he also banged over three first-half penalties while Stirling Mortlock replied with his only attempt.

The Brumbies defensive line held stoically but it was a tense activity as referee Jonathan Kaplan put them on a warning about yellow cards as he lost patience with their persistent infringements at the breakdowns and the offside line.

Without the backline experience of the banned George Gregan and injured Stephen Larkham and Matt Giteau, the Brumbies lacked the variation and clout to make any decent headway with their patchy possession. They were forced to scramble kicks for the sideline to get some respite but all the time the Crusaders' momentum was building.

Leon MacDonald and Scott Hamilton were stopped within a sniff of the tryline by brave front-on tackles from Adam Ashley-Cooper, MacDonald was just shaded chasing a centre kick while Johnny Leo'o was forced into touch by Mortlock in another courageous save.

It was desperate stuff and tenacious committment from a team without the opposing class of Carter and Aaron Mauger.

But the floodgates opened in the final quarter with three tries as they showed little sign of any jetlag after their long journey back from South Africa.

Crusaders 33 (C. Flynn, C. Johnstone, T. Latimer, tries; D. Carter 4 pen, 3 con)
Brumbies 3 (S. Mortlock pen)
HT: 9-3