Crusaders v Chiefs: Five takeaways as forgotten All Black sends ‘timely reminder’ to Dave Rennie while Leicester Fainga’anuku shines again
Crusaders skipper David Havili celebrates after scoring his try while Leicester Fainga'anuku (inset) shone again for the champions.
Following the Crusaders’ 36-32 win over the Chiefs in their Super Rugby Pacific clash at the One NZ Stadium in Christchurch on Friday, Planet Rugby picks out five takeaways from the thrilling action.
The top line
As expected, this was a thrilling encounter between two evenly-matched sides but in the end, the Crusaders got the rub of the green as they eventually outscored their opponents by six tries to four.
The visitors were fastest out of the blocks when Kyren Taumoefolau scored the opening try after five minutes before the Crusaders replied via a five-pointer from Leicester Fainga’anuku midway through the half.
The Chiefs continued to dominate and were rewarded when Samisoni Taukei’aho dotted down before Jamie Hannah replied with a try for the home side.
The topsy-turvy nature of this game continued when Josh Lord dotted down before the Crusaders narrowed the gap courtesy of a Christian Lio-Willie try in the 37th minute which meant the match was evenly poised at half-time with the Chiefs holding a slender 19-17 lead.
Josh Jacomb extended the Chiefs’ lead with a penalty shortly after the restart but a converted Johnny McNicholl try in the 51st minute meant the hosts held the lead for the first time.
The Chiefs did not panic, however, as Quinn Tupaea soon crossed the whitewash with Jacomb adding the extras and when the latter succeeded with his second penalty in the 66th minute, Jono Gibbes’ men looked set to secure the win as they held a 32-24 lead.
Rob Penney’s troops did not panic though and came to the fore with a superb effort during the game’s closing stages and tries from McNicholl and captain David Havili clinched the result for the hosts.
David Havili reminds Dave Rennie of his ability
After missing some of Super Rugby Pacific‘s earlier rounds due to a foot injury, Havili returned to action last month and although he showed glimpses of his class, he will be the first to admit that he has not displayed the form which saw him representing the All Blacks in 30 Tests between 2017 and 2024.
However, it was a different story in this encounter as the 31-year-old delivered an outstanding performance as he was in the thick of the action and shone on either side of the ball.
Although Havili was solid during the opening 40 minutes, he showed his class in the second half when he upped the ante on attack and defence while also impressing with his calm leadership in the game’s closing stages when the Crusaders were chasing the game.
After McNicholl’s second try narrowed the gap to three points, Havili put his team onto the front foot with a crucial 50/22 kick in the 73rd minute.
Although they lost possession at the ensuing lineout, they soon won a turnover and Havili crossed for the match-winning try after running onto a well-timed pass from Fainga’anuku.
That capped a superb all-round performance which was a timely reminder to All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie of his ability.
Chiefs’ winning momentum halted
Although the Hurricanes are setting the pace atop the Super Rugby Pacific standings, the Chiefs came into this weekend’s round of fixtures as the tournament’s in-form team.
The men from Hamilton were on a seven-match winning run after beating the Western Force, Waratahs, Moana Pasifika, Hurricanes, Fijian Drua, Reds and Highlanders with their last defeat registered against the Brumbies in Round Six on March 20.
The Chiefs held the upper-hand for long periods of this encounter and were on course for another victory as they held an eight-point lead over the Crusaders with 14 minutes left to play but the Crusaders showed why they are the competition’s defending champions during the game’s closing stages.
The champions left their opponents shell-shocked as they finished stronger and their attacking endeavour was rewarded with those late tries from McNicholl and captain Havili which also secured them the win.
The battle for All Blacks spots
Both these teams started this encounter with several All Blacks stars in their ranks and there were a host of mouthwatering battles lined up between Test representatives and players hopeful of making Rennie’s squad for their upcoming Nations Championship Tests against France, Italy and Ireland.
From the outset, these teams went at each other hammer and tongs and it was the players with All Blacks ambitions who led the charge for their respective teams.
Former Tonga flyer Taumoefolau, who now qualifies for New Zealand, made an early impression when he beat Perpignan-bound All Blacks star Sevu Reece with ease en route to his try while Tupaea and Isaac Hutchinson also impressed amongst the visitors’ backs.
Meanwhile, for the Crusaders, apart from Havili, Will Jordan and Noah Hotham had some good moments in the backline exchanges but it was in the forward battle where the players with hopes of being called up to Rennie’s first All Blacks squad really stood out.
The head-to-head duel between the number eights – Christian Lio-Willie of the Crusaders and Wallace Sititi of the Chiefs – was one of the highlights of the game with both putting in big efforts on attack and defence.
Meanwhile, the likes of Crusaders forwards Fainga’anuku, Ethan Blackadder, Fletcher Newell, Codie Taylor and George Bower as well as their All Blacks counterparts from the Chiefs, Luke Jacobson, Samipeni Finau, Tupou Vaa’i, Josh Lord, Taukei’aho and Ollie Norris, all went well.
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Leicester Fainga’anuku catches the eye again
The All Blacks outside back has caught the eye with several outstanding performances since he was moved to the openside flank last month and this encounter was no different.
Fainga’anuku hit the ground running in Christchurch and his attacking efforts were rewarded in the 19th minute when he crossed for the Crusaders’ opening try.
The 26-year-old continued to impress as the match progressed as he tested the Chiefs’ defence with some strong carries while also putting his body on the line in the tackle.
He was moved to the backline in the final quarter but still made a big impact on proceedings as he finished with an assist for Havili’s match-winning try and, once again, the Crusaders’ hybrid player can hold his head high after another impressive display.
