Razor’s Crusaders are champions again after holding out the Chiefs in Hamilton on Saturday night to win another Super Rugby Pacific title.
Patience was as crucial as defensive control for the champion side, who have won 12 Super Rugby titles since 1996 and seven under coach Scott Robertson’s tenure since 2017.
Excitement for the Chiefs boiled over at times, especially in the first half, when a host of penalties saw them punished by the Crusaders, who, despite a cursed year with injuries, showed the depth of resolve and legacy to achieve an outstanding win.
They weren’t flashy tries they scored, but they were practical efforts, two of them to hooker Codie Taylor, who, with his 42nd try, became the highest-scoring forward in Super Rugby history, supplanting Reds loose forward Scott Higginbotham.
As expected, it was a physical encounter with some heavy tackles throughout, but again, it was knowledge under pressure that the Crusaders could utilise.
It was the perfect farewell for Scott Robertson who collected his seventh trophy in his seventh season as coach after beating the Chiefs 25-20 to stun the partisan, sold-out home crowd.
The Chiefs had their chances but three yellow cards to second five-eighths Anton Lienert-Brown in the eighth minute, No8 Luke Jacobson in the 26th minute, and co-captain and flanker Sam Cane in the 71st minute made their task more demanding.
There were tries to fullback Shaun Stevenson and wing Emoni Narawa for Chiefs fans to savour. Still, a possible second try to Narawa was ruled out with 15 minutes remaining, and the Crusaders used that to nail the game by mounting the pressure, tackling securely and giving the Chiefs no chance of succeeding.
Early emphasis for the Crusaders was on asserting their lineout, primarily through lock and man of the match Sam Whitelock, and looking to pick off the Chiefs’ danger players when moving the ball.
However, it was a self-inflicted error at the restart from first five-eighths Richie Mo’unga’s first penalty goal when Lienert-Brown charged after the kick but failed to get low in the tackle on wing Dallas McLeod and had head-on-head contact, earning a yellow card on review.
Harried as the Chiefs had been, they were never more than three points adrift, and after McKenzie levelled that in the 18th minute, Jacobson took the ball from fullback Will Jordan in a tackle and saw the ball moved wide to Narawa and then back to the left where Stevenson ran onto a well-placed pass to get round Mo’unga’s tackle to score.
But the Chiefs couldn’t rid themselves of discipline issues after being put on a warning by referee Ben O’Keefe, and it was Jacobson who wasn’t supporting himself at a ruck who was sin-binned.
Taylor was on the end of the resulting lineout maul and scored the Crusaders’ first try.
The Crusaders got in front after a decisive mauling move from a lineout, and when the ball was moved wide, wing Leicester Fainga’anuku was put into space after the Chiefs scrambled. The Crusaders moved the ruck ball for Mo’unga to cross and claim the lead.
They took their 15-10 lead to the break, but from the first scrum afterwards, the Chiefs worked the ball to the short side, and centre Alex Nankivell passed to Stevenson into the line and passed out to Narawa, who cleared out on a 30m run to score.
But 24 minutes out, a prospective try from a long lineout throw on halfway saw McKenzie starting from within the 10m line to give Narawa a second try. The penalty was awarded to the Crusaders, and they kicked to the corner.
They used that to their advantage and left only a long-range attempt from 52m to give the Chiefs any chance of a win.
It was a display out of the Crusaders’ matchbook and an example of how they have achieved so much, no matter who is put on the field and under whatever circumstance.
Scorers: Chiefs 20 (Shaun Stevenson, Emoni Narawa tries; Damian McKenzie 2 con, 2 pens) Crusaders 25 (Codie Taylor 2, Richie Mo’unga tries: Richie Mo’unga 2 con, 2 pens). HT: 10-15
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