Classy Crusaders too good for 'Canes
Sat, 24 May 2008 11:31
Marching to the Final: Dan Carter
The Crusaders are 80 minutes away from an unprecedented seventh Super Rugby title after they battered the Hurricanes into submission to record a well-deserved 33-22 victory in a semifinal clash in Christchurch on Saturday.
Rolls Royce axles don't break and the Crusaders don't lose home semifinals. They certainly won this one and by lots more than the score suggests. The Hurricanes scored 14 points in the last three minutes to achieve reasonable respectability. For the rest they were thrashed.
It was a pity that so few people came to watch this all-New Zealand affair - just 19 000 on a cold but clear night. The night before there was a full house in Montferrand when One played 11 in France's Top 14 when Brive had only four Frenchmen as they ran out onto the field. Here One played Four, both teams packed with New Zealanders in New Zealand where rugby rules, and there were empty seats. At Ellis Park last weekend Five played 14 at 14's ground and there were 40 000 to watch. The Final will now be at AMI Stadium in Christchurch next Saturday. One hopes that more than 19 000 will arrive even if one of the sides is foreign.
The Crusaders won every phase of the game but it was especially the way they won the kicking and the tackle that kept the Hurricanes well and truly defeated. Add to that the Hurricanes' uncertain handling and iffish tackling and it was a match that they could not come close to winning.
The Crusaders protected their own ball at the tackle and forced numerous turnovers, especially in the second half when they scored 20 points before the Hurricanes scored any - and they could have got more, such was their domination of possession and position. Their kicking game was far better. They kicked to the right places and at the right length and were always there when the ball came down. They kicked to recover, the Hurricanes just to move the ball somewhere else for the time being.
Andrew Hore led the Hurricanes out into the post fire-works smoke because Rodney So'oialo had not recovered sufficiently from injury. Chris Masoe moved to No.8 and had a fairly anonymous match. So'oialo was missed.
Early on the Crusaders counter-attacked twice and, significantly, the Hurricanes missed tackles on Leon MacDonald and Casey Laulala but the Hurricanes scored first and did so inside two minutes, and it was the Crusaders' only poor kicking of the match that produced the try.
Daniel Carter kicked and Zac Guildford kicked back. Carter fetched the ball and kicked and teenaged Guildford charged it down. The ball spun over the goal-line where Guildford dived on it for a try after 1 minute 47 seconds. 5-0.
But the Crusaders went back on the attack and when Jason Eaton was penalised for punching. Carter goaled an easy penalty. 5-3 after 5 minutes.
The Crusaders attacked at close quarters and the exchanges were fierce. They counter-attacked wide and at speed. It was a fast and furious affair.
Sadly for him, Corey Flynn left the field, thought to have fracture a forearm.
Kade Poki had a magic moment down he right as he grubbered and recovered the ball but Cory Jane took the ball off him. The Hurricanes tried to run out of trouble but Crusader tackling was efficient and then they climbed in behind the ball. John Schwalger was penalised at a tackle and Carter gave the Crusaders the lead after 15 minutes.
The lead lasted for 18 minutes until the Hurricanes, astonishingly, got the lead back. Astonishingly, because they did nothing but defend during those 18 minutes. That they scored next was right against the run of play. The Crusaders picked and drove and were close. Scott Hamilton beat Jane on the outside and grubbered ahead, and the Crusaders were close. It was all Crusaders, but the Hurricanes got out of their clutches for just long enough to get a penalty when Brad Thorn tacked high and Piri Weepu goaled. 8-6 after 33 minutes.
The Crusaders knew this was silly and got the lead back when they went through fast phases - right, left and right again where MacDonald went inside Masoe and handed off Jeremy Thrush on his way to scoring at the posts. 13-8.
After the siren sounded there was a passage of play which symbolised the two teams' desire to play. The Hurricanes had the ball but knocked on. The Crusaders countered on advantage but knocked on. The Hurricanes countered on advantage. They had a free kick but the Crusaders won a turnover. It was well beyond two minutes before the referee could declare half-time.
The Hurricanes attacked first but suffered two turnovers and then they came desperately close. From a scrum on the far left they went far right with a good run by strong Hosea Gear who gave to Guildford. The young man sped for the corner as covering Poki tackled him. The TMO was able to spot that Guildford had got a toe on the touch-line before he grounded the ball.
That was the end of the Hurricanes chances for half an hour.
Instead the Crusaders came back with pick-'n-drive and slow bashing till the ball went left to MacDonald who sped straight between Scylla and Charybdis like Odysseus of old, between Eaton and Thrush, for a try under the posts. Carter converted. 20-8 to the Crusaders after 52 minutes.
From the kick-off a strong, weaving run by Poki set the Crusaders rampaging down the field in their special way till Masoe went off-side and Carter made the score 23-8. There could be only one winner.
At this stage the Hurricanes opted for a run-everything policy but the Crusaders tackling kept them pinned in their own 22. The Crusaders tapped a free kick and bashed. The bashing ended when Kieran Read battered over as Jane, Hore and Tamati Ellison sought to stop him. Carter converted. 30-8 after 67 minutes.
Four minutes later Hore was penalised at a tackle and Carter ended the Crusaders scoring with a penalty. 33-8.
The Hurricanes put pressure on and Masoe charged down Stephen Brett's attempted clearance. Thrush went after the ball and fell on it near the posts. Jimmy Gopperth converted. 33-15 after 78 minutes.
Jane countered magnificently, racing over acres before giving to Thomas Waldrom who went for the line but was brought down from behind by Hamilton. The Crusaders were off-side. The Hurricanes tapped and Neemia Tialata muscled his way over for the try. Jerry Collins (sic) converted. The siren had gone before the try was scored.
The match was over..For the Hurricanes the Super 14 was over. For the Crusaders glory awaited.
Man of the Match: Kade Poki and Cory Jane provided thrilling moments in the game and Kieran Read was full of energy and efficiency but as the man who set the stamp of attacking intention on the game, and scored two tries by being in the right place and effective our Man of the Match is Leon MacDonald.
Moment of the Match: Uncertainty is one of sport's attractions and for the uncertainty that it sowed with that early try, our Moment of the Match is Zac Guildford's charge-down and score. Maybe the Rolls Royce axle would break after all.
Villain of the Match: Nobody.
The Scorers:
For the Crusaders:
Tries: MacDonald 2, Read
Cons: Carter 3
Pens: Carter 4
For the Hurricanes:
Tries: Guildford, Thrush, Tialata
Cons: Gopperth 2
Pen: Weepu
The teams:
Crusaders: 15 Leon MacDonald, 14 Kade Poki, 13 Casey Laulala, 12 Tim Bateman, 11 Scott Hamilton, 10 Daniel Carter, 9 Andrew Ellis, 8 Mose Tuiali'i, 7 Richard McCaw (captain), 6 Kieran Read, 5 Ali Williams, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Greg Somerville, 2 Corey Flynn, 1
Wyatt Crockett.
Replacements: 16 Ti'i Paulo, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Reuben Thorne, 19 Nasi Manu, 20 Kahn Fotuali'i, 21 Stephen Brett, 22 Sean Maitland.
Hurricanes: 15 Cory Jane, 14 Hosea Gear, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Zac Guildford, 10 Willie Ripia, 9 Piri Weepu, 8 Chris Masoe, 7 Scott Waldrom, 6 Jerry Collins, 5 Jason Eaton, 4 Jeremy Thrush, 3 Tim Fairbrother, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 John Schwalger.
Replacements: 16 Hikawera Elliot, 17 Neemia Tialata, 18 Craig Clarke, 19 Thomas Waldrom, 20 Alby Mathewson, 21 Jimmy Gopperth, 22 Tamati Ellison.
Referee: Stuart Dickinson (Australia)
Touch judges: Matt Goddard (Australia), Paul Marks (Australia)
Television match official: Geoff Acton (Australia)
Assessor: Alan Riley (New Zealand)
