Crusaders restore order, put Blues to the sword at Eden Park

An iconic rivalry took centre stage at Eden Park on Saturday night as the Blues hosted the Crusaders, drawing an enthused crowd in Auckland.

That crowd left disappointed though, after not just witnessing their home team fall to a hefty loss, but watching their chances of a playoff birth slip further out of reach.

The Crusaders won the set-piece game comfortably, tearing the Blues lineout to shreds en route to a 30-7 lead 50 minutes in. It was a more even contest from that point on, but the damage was well and truly done.

It took just three minutes for the Blues to get on the board, and it was Cantabrian James Mullan with the try assist for Dalton Papali’i after a smooth delayed pass from Xavi Taele set the hooker through a gap.

A Rieko Ioane linebreak was spoiled by the pilfering hands of Ioane Moananu, and the Crusaders got themselves down the other end of the field when Caleb Clarke stumbled catching the clearance and didn’t realise he’d carried the ball back into the 22 when making his clearance.

David Havili shrugged off a handful of tackle attempts in midfield before crashing just a metre shy of the try line, but Kyle Preston finished the effort by diving under the defence to score.

Another botched high ball from the Blues led to another Crusaders strike moments later, with Sevu Reece cleaning up Stephen Perofeta’s knock-on and finding Tom Christie who rumbled upfield. Chay Fihaki provided the gas to exploit a gap in the recovering Blues line and score.

The Aucklanders had game-breaking moments as the game entered its second quarter but failed to secure their breakdown and had possession stolen or spilled yet again.

Periods of contestable kicking made way for breathless action again when a Crusaders box kick was partially charged and collected by Taha Kemara. The visitors made it to the Blues line but a Will Jordan knock-on ended the attack momentarily.

A poor kick to touch kept play in the Blues 22 and the Crusaders stole the lineout, leading to another assault on the Blues line. All Black behemoth Tamaiti Williams had the grunt to get over the line. Kemara’s poor night off the tee continued with just one conversion landed from three attempts.

The young 10 would however have the final say of the half with a penalty from a far more friendly angle to lift his side to a 20-7 lead at the break.

The Crusaders were on the board 44 seconds into the second half. After another wayward clearance from Stephen Perofeta, there was a chance to attack from deep in Blues territory and the Crusaders swung the ball wide quickly, finding Fihaki again just one phase into the attack who scored in the corner.

Laghlan McWhannell was handed a yellow card seven minutes later before some X-factor play from Ioane Moananu saw the hooker deliver a long-range clearance kick and win a penalty at the ensuing breakdown.

A poor pass stopped the 24-year-old from scoring moments later, but the Crusaders’ set-piece dominance continued and a driving maul try saw the scoreline pushed to 30-7.

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The visitors’ discipline faltered as the game entered its final quarter, and the Blues were ready to punish the indiscretion, Marcel Renata doing just that. The try was converted by Harry Plummer soon after entering the game.

More substitutions rolled onto the field and the pictures became slightly better for the Blues, with more parity at th breakdown helping their attack find something of a rhythm.

That didn’t stop the Crusaders from getting back on the scoreboard, after sucking the Blues’ defence in tight, then releasing the cross-field kick to Macca Springer who scored out wide.

The Blues returned the favour with a multi-phase attack on the Crusaders’ line, and after Hoskins Sotutu was chopped down just short, Finlay Christie spied an opportunity beside the ruck and stuck the ball over the line.

It looked as if the Crusaders had struck back straight away when David Havili stole possession on the restart and Antonio Shalfoon got to the chalk. A knock-on was spotted and the Blues opted to get out of their own half with the ball in hand.

The ambitious tactic paid off and after recollecting another chip, the Blues were back on the Crusaders line. A Mark Tele’a knock-on over the line ended the scoring opportunity.

The win was already in the bag, but to add insult to injury the Crusaders touched down one final time through Will Jordan as the final hooter sounded. Final score: 42-19.