Two tries: Zac Guildford
Related links
Teams
Also see
The Crusaders sealed a 51-18 victory over the Highlanders on Friday in a result that stands them in good stead heading into the international break.
Todd Blackadder's outfit, who have struggled to find their best form in Super Rugby this season, finally clicked into top gear on home soil in a devastating performance that all but ends the Highlanders' hopes of making the play-offs.
Two yellow cards were the catalyst in the contest as 23 points were scored when flanks George Whitelock and James Haskell were in the sin-bin during the first-half. But it was the Crusaders who stole the show as they picked up their bonus-point in the 37th minute to cap a purple patch.
Prior to that, Whitelock had opened the scoring with a try on three minutes after a typically power-packed start from the hosts. Dan Carter added the extras and then tested his troulesome groin by striking one over from halfway. A grimace afterwards had New Zealand hearts in mouths.
Chris Noakes then responded from the kicking tee with two penalties to make it 6-10 before the Highlanders announced themselves onto the game via a well-taken individual effort from Tamati Ellison. The All Blacks squad member shrugged off a tackler and then fended off the attempts of Ben Franks en route to the line. Noakes' conversion pushed the visitors into a three-point lead with about a quarter gone, but that only served to awaken the Crusaders.
Cue 34 unanswered points from the hosts as Andy Ellis, Zac Guildford, Ryan Crotty and early replacement for Corey Flynn, Quentin MacDonald, were prominent in open play.
Their second score was something special as Carter chose to grubber from his own 22 for hooker MacDonald, who then found the speed of Guildford and the winger did the rest from 55 metres out. That was the start of something special from the Crusaders as they finally discovered their top form in 2012, something coach Blackadder has been longing for.
Guildford claimed his brace soon after as again the mercurial Carter put boot to ball, with the successful grubber kick option popping up nicely for the flyer to cash in on the left wing.
Carter converted and then added two more soon after when the Crusaders struck straight from the restart, Robbie Freuan and Ellis combining to allow Crotty to run under the posts.
Richie McCaw was the next to join the procession six minutes into the second-half when he managed to ground the ball in the right corner after Ellis's kick through. And when prop Wyatt Crockett crashed over from close-range before fly-half Carter kicked the extras, the shell-shocked Highlanders found themselves trailing 13-44. The wheels had come off for them.
The Highlanders found something to cling to when Hosea Gear gambled on an intercept from Ellis and went 80 metres to the left corner, but it was all in vain as the Crusaders were to have the last word when replacement Matt Todd went in for the home side's seventh try.
The scorers:
For Crusaders:
Tries: G Whitelock, Guildford 2, Crotty, McCaw, Crockett, Todd
Con: Carter 5
Pen: Carter 2
For Highlanders:
Tries: Ellison, Gear
Con: Noakes
Pen: Noakes 2
Yellow cards: George Whitelock (Crusaders - 17th minute), James Haskell (Highlanders - 26th minute)
Crusaders: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Adam Whitelock, 13 Robbie Fruean, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 Zac Guildford, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Andy Ellis, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 George Whitelock, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Luke Romano, 3 Ben Franks, 2 Corey Flynn, 1 Wyatt Crockett.
Replacements: 16 Quentin MacDonald, 17 Owen Franks, 18 Tom Donnelly, 19 Matt Todd, 20 Willi Heinz, 21 Tom Taylor, 22 Tom Marshall.
Highlanders: 15 Ben Smith, 14 Kurt Baker, 13 Tamati Ellison, 12 Phil Burleigh, 11 Hosea Gear, 10 Chris Noakes, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Nasi Manu, 7 James Haskell, 6 Adam Thomson, 5 Josh Bekhuis, 4 Jarrad Hoeata, 3 Chris King, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Jamie Mackintosh (c).
Replacements: 16 Jason Rutledge, 17 Bronson Murray, 18 Nick Crosswell, 19 Tim Boys, 20 Jimmy Cowan, 21 Mike Delany, 22 Kade Poki.
Referee: Steve Walsh (Australia)
Comments
Mace says...
Dan the man, feel sorry for the Irish I really do!!!
Posted 18:12 01st June 2012
Trader2 says...
Thanks isthatrightref but you know the old saying "it¿s not over until the fat lady sings" but the head was right, bugger it, too right for mine. Anyway bye plus two bonus point wins over the Reds and Chiefs, 58 points will clinch a spot no sweat. Thought the Highlanders should have mixed it up a bit, the ball in hand is great but it wasn't really working, I guess the problem was the Landers have no tactical kicker really. Turning point was Haskell's sinbinning what is it with these pommie forwards they just cannot help themselves, love a good fiddle while lying vertical and we had done pretty well without him over the last 4 weeks. No problems with the refereeing unlike some other dickheads (hi Trinats) there was so much going on at times only certain deadeye dickheads (hi Trinats) with the help of the commentators would have picked it up. Overall the Crusaders coming right as they always do at this time of the year. Lastly thanks Fox for your usual pathetic finish, got to listen to DC, saw Jamie Mac walk over to the mic and then cut to Brumbies/Rebels players warming up, you guys are a joke. Unless Rupert Murdoch can intervene I am going to sell my 5 News Corp shares first thing Monday, come on PR use your influence here.
Posted 15:46 01st June 2012
three6three6 says...
Yes... it is great to see the Crusaders finally string two decent games together (ignoring the bye, of course). Will the Crusaders win anything this season? It will become much clearer after this weekend results - with the Bulls vs Stormers match key to whom will win the RSA Conference (and play their matches at home). The crucial match will be the Chiefs vs Crusaders on Friday, 6 July.
Posted 15:39 01st June 2012
hayj05 says...
@Sandal - I reckon Marshall overcompensates when trying to be an impartial commentator. He'll normally go off at anything the Crusaders get away with.
@Themai - Exactly right. Assistant refs have a tendacy to let things go.
Posted 15:01 01st June 2012
Trinats2 says...
sandal:
"Perhaps there weren't as many forward passes as Justin Marshall in the commentary box suggested"
Perhaps, but purely by the comment of your observation, perhaps there were still heaps.
It was a good spectacle, just wish refs were consistent and let ALL games flow. However as a Reds supporter, glad that Brown couldn't keep his whistle out of his mouth tonight and prevented Brumbies gaining a bonus point.
Posted 14:22 01st June 2012
Carpelone says...
tha_mai
My point was that the Saders are hitting form in correspondance to the return of DC at 10. No Carter, no party. Neither for the Saders nor for the ABs.
Carter is still the most decisive player in rugby.
Posted 13:46 01st June 2012
sandal says...
@that_mai and trinats
Perhaps there weren't as many forward passes as Justin Marshall in the commentary box suggested. He's never happier than when questioning the referee's decisions. Usually it's at the breakdown, but tonight he seemed to devote special attention to passes. I don't understand what motivates him, and as I was watching in a pub I couldn't silence him.
Perhaps the ODT reporter (unlike Marshall, who it seems has already forgotten his playing days) at least understands the laws of inertia -- that a ball visibly thrown backwards by a man running at speed will actually travel forward. It's like dropping something off the back of a moving truck -- it lands in front of where you dropped it. So as Michael Lynagh once told Des Lynam: unless the passer is stationary, it's irrelevant to say the pass was thrown here and caught there: the issue is whether it was thrown forward.
It sounds complicated but, thank you Mr Lynagh, is very simple.
Posted 13:40 01st June 2012
leinster_goy says...
if crusaders had beaten the rebels, they'd be top of the table. that loss could come back to haunt them at the end
Posted 13:30 01st June 2012
quietbrit says...
Suddenly people see that the young pretender is just that for now as DC gives a masterclass.
From and English perspective Haskell is doing poorly - all I ever seem to see is mention of a yellow card, so hopefully he is sliding down the ranks of Eng backrow hopefuls.
Posted 13:10 01st June 2012
hayj05 says...
Opps! The Highlanders only have 2 games left but they do have the automatic 4 points in hand.
Posted 12:42 01st June 2012
tweedledee49 says...
as a Chiefs supporter, its worrying that the Crusaders are starting to get in form. Well done Saders, they really dominated the game. A few missed calls by Walsh (both ways) but i highly doubt that it had any effect on the result because the Crusaders looked abso-freakin-lutely ruthless!
Posted 12:17 01st June 2012
tha_mai says...
Carpelone - Carter at 10 - not such a surprise since he last played 12 three weeks ago v Rebels, and was back at 10 two weeks ago v Blues. You may remember that game since you commented on it?
TN2 - I'd hold the asst refs responsible more than the ref, their role of monitoring offsides, front-of-kicker and forward passes a lot easier when they are facing across the field at 90 deg. However, looked at Otago newspaper review and not a complaint re the ref.
Posted 11:37 01st June 2012
jonesy2 says...
amazing rugby from the saders! guildford is an absolute jet, him and ellis have claimed their spots in the AB team no doubt. i feel for any of the irish players if they watched that, next week they have to face those breakdowns from read, richie, thommo and hore and the scrums from the franks bros
Posted 11:30 01st June 2012
sandal says...
It's very pleasing for a New Zealander to see the Crusaders in that kind of form (at last); it bodes well for the All Blacks just when I had been starting to feel a little anxious.
It's just a shame they did it against the Highlanders, who have produced so much to admire this season and would still be worthy playoff participants.
It's not surprise that the game got a little scrappy and imprecise in the second half. No team can sustain the kind of performance the Crusaders put in in that first half, but they continued to play at great pace and with great ambition. This was high-risk stuff.
Posted 11:17 01st June 2012
Carpelone says...
Surprise, surprise.
DC is back at 10....
Posted 11:14 01st June 2012
SACanuck says...
Wow, what a magic team effort from the Saders. The passing and no one wanting to be the hero, but just making ground and space for the next player to carry the ball on with was just brilliant.
Posted 10:48 01st June 2012
isthatrightref says...
@ Trader2... sorry, mate, I think that was the end of your season, won enough games to have stayed in the hunt at least another couple of Rounds but in the end didn't secure enough bonus points. That said, they've probably exceeded most peoples expectations & have possibly laid the foundation for a better 2013.
As for my lot, I still believe we'll finish 5th & face the nightmare of a qualifier in SA & if successful a semi in Hamilton & if we somehow manage to pull THAT off, a flight back to SA for the final... like I said last week, even the 3peaters would've struggled with that schedule & these Crusaders aren't in the same class imo.
Posted 10:42 01st June 2012
Trinats2 says...
J4A:
"Crusaders by 10 (28+ if Walsh turns a blind eye to Read and Mccaw) "
Hope you got on the 28+ (that should sort out term 1 for one of your ankle bitters !) Walsh just turned a blind eye, full stop. Can't believe how many forward passes, knock ons, off side and front of kicker he missed (maybe he had an ear full from Bray on last weeks performance when he stopped everything) .
Posted 10:36 01st June 2012
hayj05 says...
All but ends the Highlanders hopes? No way! They win their last 3 games & they'll definately be in. Tough games I know but you can't say they're all but out of the playoffs race.
Brutality from the Crusaders, no team can touch them when they're in that form.
Posted 10:33 01st June 2012