The Crusaders have won nine of their last 12 Super Rugby games against the Chiefs (L3), including four of five games against them since the beginning of the 2020 Super Rugby Aotearoa campaign.
The Chiefs’ last away win to the Crusaders in Super Rugby came in the opening round of the 2016 campaign (27-21), with the Chiefs losing six consecutive such fixtures since then.
- The Crusaders have won their last 10 consecutive games in Super Rugby competitions, winning by an average margin of 18 points per game in that term; however, their last defeat came at the hands of the Chiefs in Round 8 of the 2021 Super Rugby Aotearoa competition (26-25).
- The Chiefs have lost eight of their last 10 Super Rugby games away from home against New Zealand opposition (W2), including their last three on the bounce; six of those 10 games were decided by single-digits.
- The NSW Waratahs (55%) are the only team to have had a higher proportion of possession than the Crusaders (53%) and Chiefs (52%) in the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific campaign; in fact, the Saders’ 118 carries per game are the most of any team.
- The Hamilton side has allowed their opposition just six entries into their 22m zone per game this Super Rugby Pacific season, the fewest of any team in the competition.
- The Saders have scored six tries in the final quarter of games this Super Rugby Pacific season, the second-most of any team in the competition and six more than the Chiefs – who are the only team yet to score a try in this period.
- The Crusaders’ 90% lineout success rate is the highest of any team in the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific season and 10 percentage points higher than the Chiefs (80%).
Players to watch
- Will Jordan has scored eight tries in his seven Super Rugby games against the Chiefs, scoring in each of his last five games against them.
- Etene Nanai-Seturo has scored in three of his last five away games for the Chiefs, including one try in Round 3 of the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific.
Match detail
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In the meantime, why not have a look at the match preview.
1.00: PEEEP! We are underway in The Garden City.
3.00: The Chiefs survive an early scare after Braydon Ennor knocks on with the try line calling. The visitors counter-attack before a knock-on kills their attack. Phew!
5.00: Another scare for the visitors, who survive an eight-phase attack inside their 22 after Richie Mo’unga’s barnstorming run.
6.00: Samisoni Taukei’aho is offside after the Chiefs did not find touch from a penalty.
7.00: PENALTY! Mo’unga opens the scoring. 3-0
10.00: Clayton McMillan’s men cannot get out of their half, and they are leaking too many penalties, which allows the Crusaders to set up camp in their 22.
12.00: Offside call against Joe Moody allows the Chiefs a reprieve.
13.00: Ethan Blackadder is now offsides, Chiefs exit their half – finally!
14.00: TRY! Shaun Stevenson beats three defenders to claim the game’s first try after Emoni Narawa linebreak and offload to the winger. 3-5
15.00: CONVERSION! Bryn Gatland converts. 3-7
17.00: Lots of reset scrums have slowed the game.
19.00:TRY! Mo’unga broke down the blindside before putting a well-weighted grubber behind the Chiefs’ backs. Pita Gus Sowakula, under pressure from Blackadder, gets back but the bounce of the ball was unkind, and David Havili pounces for his 27th Super Rugby try. 8-7
21.00: MISS! The kick is wide. 8-7
24.00: A nine-phase attack ends with a knock on from the Hamilton men. This is a good game.
26.00: Tom Christie wins the turnover penalty after a long throw goes astray by the Chiefs. The Crusaders also make a mistake at the lineout on the opposition’s 22. That is very unusual by the 10-time champions.
28.00: Both teams are conceding too many penalties in the opening half hour (four apiece). The lineouts are a bit of a mess as well.
29.00: A deliberate knock-down by Bryn Hall allows Bryn Gatland a shot at goal.
30.00: PENALTY! Gatland inches his team ahead. 8-10
32.00: Hands in the ruck by Sevu Reece allows the Chiefs to clear after a dodgy restart on their 22. However, a sublime counter-attack ends when Kaylum Boshier is tackled into touch before he could get his offload away.
34.00: NEARLY! A sublime 50/20 by Gatland is chalked off by the officials after the ball touched the whitewash. That was so close. Crusaders have the lineout inside the opposition’s half.
35.00: Mo’unga kicks a penalty deep into the Chiefs’ 22.
36.00: No advantage from another penalty, Sam Cane the guilty party. Mo’unga will take a shot.
37.00: PENALTY! Mo’unga knocks the kick through the posts. 11-10
39.00: Mo’unga’s fancy feet saves the day for his team after Gatland’s kick stays in-field. A knock-on, though, off the top of the lineout allows Scott robertson’s men a chance to clear the danger.
40.00: Braydon Ennor’s break almost leads to Ethan blackadder scoring, but the flanker loses the ball forward. Chiefs counter-attacked from their 22 before losing possession.
42.00: Reset scrums kill the game!
43.00: Pablo Matera is taken out by Shaun Stevenson’s stray leg to give Mo’unga a late shot at goal.
44.00: PENALTY! The kick is good. 14-10
The halftime score was Crusaders 14 Chiefs 10
41.00: PEEEP! We are back underway in Christchurch.
43.00: Good defence by the visitors as they hold up Leicester Fainga’anuku – goal line drop-out.
45.00: TRY! A 10-phase attack ends with Braydon Ennor taking Codie Taylor’s inside pass on the angle, and scoring his 21st Super Rugby try under the posts. 19-10
46.00: CONVERSION! Mo’unga adds the extras. 21-10
50.00: Scrum penalty to the Chiefs, who relieve the pressure.
53.00: Superb defending by Havilli and Taylor to hold up Sowakula. The Chiefs’ intent is decent, but handling not so much.
57.00: Anton Lienert-Brown and Sowakula both battering their way towards the Saders’ try line, but once again, the Chiefs lose possession, and the Crusaders clear.
60.00: Gatland’s linebreak is foiled when the flyhalf passes to Bryn Hall instead of Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi. The Saders survive again; they always do!
64.00: It is all Chiefs, but they cannot break the red wall.
67.00: Lots of changes at this late stage, which has made the game disjointed.
71.00: The visitors can’t break through, the Saders are holding them out with some stout defending. But the Hamitlon men keep coming…
73.00: No advantage for offside by George Bower, Gatland kicks to the corner. Tackle count: 198 to 79 in favour of the Chiefs.
75.00: Crusaders win the turnover for the fifth time near their line, and clear to halfway. Another offsides gives the visitors a chance to attack inside the 22.
76.00: TRY! Shaun Stevenson bags a brace in the corner after the Crusaders run out of defenders. 21-15
77.00: CONVERSION! Gatland slots the touchline kick to make it 21-17.
80.00: several penalties in succession allows Gatland to kick to the corner. Here we go !
82.00: TRY! Stunning by the Chiefs as Rameka Poihipi scores in the corner to notch his first Super Rugby try, and seal a mighty win against the 10-time champs! 21-22
83.00: CONVERSION! Gatland lands another touchline conversion. 21-24
FULL TIME
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The final score is Crusaders 21 (14) Chiefs 24 (10)
Scorers
Crusaders
Tries – Havili, Ennor
Pen – Mo’unga (3)
Con – Mo’unga
Drop –
Cards –
Chiefs
Tries – Stevenson (2), Poihipi
Pen – Gatland
Con – Gatland (3)
Drop –
Cards –
Match Officials
Referee: Brendon Pickerill
Assistant Ref 1: Angus Mabey
Assistant Ref 2: Dan Waenga
TMO: Glenn Newman
Teams
Crusaders
15 Will Jordan, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Braydon Ennor, 12 David Havili, 11 Leicester Fainga’anuku, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Bryn Hall, 8 Pablo Matera, 7 Tom Christie, 6 Ethan Blackadder, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Scott Barrett (captain), 3 Fletcher Newell, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Joe Moody
Replacements: 16 Brodie McAlister, 17 George Bower, 18 Tamaiti Williams, 19 Mitch Dunshea, 20 Cullen Grace, 21 Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, 22 Fergus Burke, 23 George Bridge
Chiefs
15 Emoni Narawa, 14 Shaun Stevenson, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Quinn Tupaea, 11 Etene Nanai-Seturo, 10 Bryn Gatland, 9 Xavier Roe, 8 Pita Gus Sowakula, 7 Sam Cane (captain), 6 Kaylum Boshier, 5 Brodie Retallick, 4 Tupou Vaa’i, 3 Angus Ta’avao, 2 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 1 Aidan Ross
Replacements: 16 Bradley Slater, 17 Ollie Norris, 18 George Dyer, 19 Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 20 Tom Florence, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Rameka Poihipi, 23 Rivez Reihana
