WATCH: Cortez Ratima scores a brilliant try for the Chiefs in their Super Rugby Pacific win over the Crusaders

David Skippers
Cortez Ratima Chiefs v Crusaders SRP 2022 - PA.jpg

Cortez Ratima was the Chiefs’ hero as he scored a scintillating try in his team’s 31-10 victory over the Crusaders in Friday’s Super Rugby Pacific opener in Christchurch.

Ratima came onto the field in the 63rd minute as a replacement for Chiefs co-captain and All Blacks scrum-half Brad Weber, and it did not take long for the rookie number nine to make an impact.

With the score 24-10 in the visitors’ favour, Josh Ioane set off on an attacking run in the 68th minute from close to the halfway line. He made good progress before offloading to Ratima just outside the Crusaders‘ 22.

The 21-year-old still had plenty of work to do but beat Macca Springer with deft footwork, before escaping the attentions of Leicester Fainga’anuku with a powerful handoff and raced away to score a superb try.

That score was the final nail in the Crusaders’ coffin and sealed a deserved win for the Chiefs, who outscored their hosts by four tries to one.

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Earlier, Richie Mo’unga opened the scoring for the defending Super Rugby Pacific champions with a drop goal in the 13th minute, before David Havili increased their lead midway through the half, with the first try of the 2023 season, which Mo’unga converted.

The men from Hamilton struck back with a Brodie Retallick try, with Damian Mckenzie adding the extras, which meant the Crusaders held a slender 10-7 lead at half-time.

It was all Chiefs after the interval as first Sam Cane crossed the whitewash in the 49th minute, before Alex Nankivell scored their third try 10 minutes later. McKenzie succeeded with both conversions and slotted a penalty as well before Ratima clinched the visitors’ victory with his spectacular try, which was also converted by the All Blacks utility back.

The result is a momentous one as it is the first time that the Crusaders have lost a season-opener under the guidance of their head coach Scott Robertson. The last time they tasted defeat in a Round One encounter was in 2016, and that was also against the Chiefs.

Video credit: Super Rugby Pacific

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