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Crusaders win 30th successive home match to reach another Super Rugby decider

Bryn Hall. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

The Crusaders have staved off a mighty Hurricanes challenge to win their Super Rugby semi-final 30-26 and set up a home decider against the Jaguares.

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Out-scored four tries to three in Christchurch on Saturday, the Crusaders found a way to remain on track for a third straight title, with five-eighth Richie Mo’unga once again a key figure.

Mo’unga scored 20 points, while winger Sevu Reece scored a double to push him clear as the competition’s leading try-scorer with 15.

It was enough to win a Kiwi derby thriller, quelling a Hurricanes side who were led by Ngani Laumape’s double and an inspiring display from halfback TJ Perenara, whose 127th game was a Hurricanes record.

Standing in the way of a 10th Crusaders title are the Jaguares after the Argentine side booked their maiden grand final appearance with a 39-7 demolition of the Brumbies in Buenos Aires in front of a crowd of 31,000. However, the Jaguares must slay the competition’s Goliath next Saturday in Christchurch.

The Crusaders have won 30 successive home matches and have never lost a home finals match. They are 23-from-23, with six of those wins coming over the Hurricanes.

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The game came alive in the second spell after the Crusaders dominated the opening half but only led 13-7. Reece’s opening try from a Ryan Crotty cross-kick and Richie Mo’unga’s boot pushed them clear but momentum swung with Hurricanes tries either side of the break, to Laumape and winger Ben Lam.

The teams alternated try for try over a compelling second 40 minutes, with scores to Mo’unga and Reece cancelled out by Laumape and Perenara, whose outrageous dummy from close range was bought, lifting his team to within a point with 19 minutes remaining.

Mo’unga’s third penalty gave the Crusaders a buffer but they needed all their defensive resilience over the closing minutes to keep the desperate Hurricanes out.

– AAP

WATCH: Knocked, episode one on the RugbyPass series Beyond 80 which focuses on the issue of concussion

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Flankly 1 hour ago
'Absolute madness': Clive Woodward rips into Borthwick in wake of NZ loss

Borthwick is supposed to be the archetypical conservative coach, the guy that might not deliver a sparkling, high-risk attacking style, but whose teams execute the basics flawlessly. And that's OK, because it can be really hard to beat teams that are rock solid and consistent in the rugby equivalent of "blocking and tackling".


But this is why the performance against NZ is hard to defend. You can forgive a conservative, back-to-basics team for failing to score tons of tries, because teams like that make up for it with reliability in the simple things. They can defend well, apply territorial pressure, win the set piece battles, and take their scoring chances with metronomic goal kicking, maul tries and pick-and-go goal line attacks.


The reason why the English rugby administrators should be on high alert is not that the English team looked unable to score tries, but that they were repeatedly unable to close out a game by executing basic, coachable skills. Regardless of how they got to the point of being in control of their destiny, they did get to that point. All that was needed was to be world class at things that require more training than talent. But that training was apparently missing, and the finger has to point at the coach.


Borthwick has been in the job for nearly two years, a period that includes two 6N programs and an RWC campaign. So where are the solid foundations that he has been building?

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