The Crusaders have played the Hurricanes 40 times in Super Rugby, the Saders have won 24 matches, lost 13, and drawn three times since 1996.
The defending champion Crusaders have won 16 Super Rugby games at home, lost six, and drawn once against the Hurricanes.
- The Hurricanes defeated the Crusaders in their most recent meeting in Super Rugby (34-32, July 2020), snapping a six-match losing run against them.
- The Hurricanes will be aiming for back-to-back away wins against the Crusaders in Super Rugby for the first time, following their 34-32 triumph in July 2020.
- The Crusaders conceded the joint-fewest clean breaks (7) of any team in Round 1 of this Super Rugby Aotearoa season (also Blues); the Hurricanes (11) conceded the most of any side.
- The Crusaders were the only team to make 100+ tackles in Round 1 of this Super Rugby Aotearoa campaign (130); indeed, their tally was 35 more than the next best side (Blues – 95).
- Asafo Aumua (Hurricanes) beat the most defenders (6) of any player in Round 1 of this Super Rugby Aotearoa season, two more than any Crusaders player managed.
Match detail
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1.00: PEEEEP! We are underway at a sunny and warm Orangetheory Stadium, Christchurch. It’s not Super Rugby until the 11-time defending champions have played at home.
3.00: The game has started hard and fast, both teams willing to run from anywhere on the field. Each team changed possession before the Hurricanes attacked for nine phases, winning a penalty 45 metres out. Jordie Barrett calls for the tee.
5.00: PENALTY! Jordie Barrett opens the scoring for the visitors. 0-3
7.00: A battle ends with Sevu Reece pinning the Canes inside their 22.
9.00: Dallas McLeod’s forward pass to Ethan Blackadder gives the visitors a reset center-field scrum on the halfway line.
11.00: Jackson Garden-Bachop intercepts a stray pass and races 80 metres before hesitating, looking for support and allowing Reece and Leicester Fainga’anuku to chase him down and tackle the flyhalf into touch.
13.00: Crusaders pinged for not rolling away at the ruck. Barrett calls for the tee.
15.00: PENALTY! Barrett’s kick is good. 0-6
17.00: Ardie Savea breaks from his own half, sells a dummy and steps a defender before putting in a wonderful cross-field kick to Wes Goosen, but the ball bounces into touch five metres out from the home team’s try line.
18.00: The Saders win a penalty at the breakdown because the Canes’ players were not supporting their body weight. Mo’unga boots to the 22.
19.00: YELLOW CARD! Ardie Savea takes one for the team after a powerful 20-metre Crusaders driving maul is illegally brought down on the Hurricanes goal-line. Saders opt for a scrum. 0-6
22.00: TRY! Codie Taylor dots down for his 19th Super Rugby try. The hooker took a quick-tap free-kick instead of taking another scrum, and he caught the Hurricanes napping. 5-6
23.00: CONVERTED! Richie Mo’unga converts. 7-6
26.00: TRY! Mo’unga combines with Codie Taylor, who breaks from inside the Crusaders half to the Hurricanes’ 22. Taylor draws the defender before popping to Mitchell Drummond in support. The scrumhalf is tackled as he gathers the ball but manages to play a quick inside-pass to Mo’unga, who dives over under the posts. Stunning! 12-6
27.00: CONVERSION! Mo’unga converts his score. 14-6
29.00: The Crusaders are back on the attack with a lineout on the Canes’ 22.
30.00: TRY! Ethan Blackadder crashes over from close range after a second eight-phase attack in a row following a previous penalty. Drummond took the quick-tap penalty to set-up the next series of attacks. 19-6
31.00: CONVERSION! Mo’unga adds a third conversion. 21-6
32.00: Penalty to the hosts because Jonathan Taumateine did not roll away.
35.00: Ardie Savea is back on the field, his card proved costly as the Crusaders racked up 21 unanswered points. Barrett goes for the money shot; however, his penalty is almost kept in by Fainga’anuku.
36.00: It does not matter, the Canes lose the attacking lineout, and the home team clears.
37.00: Reed Prinsep plays Cullen Grace in the air at the lineout giving the Crusaders another penalty, which is really starting to mount against the visitors.
39.00: TRY! Scott Barrett finishes off a slick attacking move that combined backs and forwards. Dallas McLeod went close before Drummond sees Barrett hanging on the sideline, sends a pass to the skipper, who dives over in the corner. 26-6
40.00: MISS! Mo’unga misses from out wide. 26-6
The halftime score was Crusaders 26 Hurricanes 6
41.00: PEEEEP! We are back underway in Christchurch, New Zealand.
42.00: Jason Holland has wrung the changes taking off his halfback pairing of Jackson Garden-Bachop and Jonathan Taumateine for Devan Flanders and Luke Campbell.
44.00: The Hurricanes have had to make 81 tackles to 29, but they have missed 15. Asafo Aumua, who has been superb in the two rounds of Super Rugby Aotearoa, is off holding his shoulder in a sling.
46.00: TRY! Oh, dear! Ricky Riccitelli overthrows a defensive lineout, and Taylor snatches the loose ball to score his second try of the game. 31-6
47.00: CONVERSION! The kick is good. 33-6
50.00: A ‘Captain’s Referal’ by Scott Barrett for foul play by Ardie Savea is not punished by the officials, who have been superb tonight in the quick decision-making. Savea stays on the field. Barrett goes close but knocks on near the line. Scrum to the home team.
53.00: The Saders are emptying their bench, on comes Will Jordan: What price on Jordan grabbing a score?
56.00: TRY! Riccitelli makes up for his earlier gaffe, scoring from a driving maul. 33-11
57.00: MISS! Barrett pulls his kick wide. 33-11
60.00: The benches are being emptied. The rain is coming down after some glorious sunshine in the first half, but the crowd won’t mind, they are back inside a rugby ground.
64.00: Both teams making too many unforced errors, which have begun to mount. The ball is slippery, but these teams are used to handling a wet ball.
67.00: The game has broken down in the wet, very scrappy, the quality is poor.
70.00: The quality has left the game, whether it’s the substitutions or the weather, but the last 30 minutes has been rubbish.
75.00: Another knock-on kills a certain score for Holland’s men, who have been poor.
76.00: NO TRY! Jordan wins a foot-race against Julian Savea and Billy Proctor to score; HOWEVER; a TMO review shows the flyer dropped the ball in the act of grounding. 33-11
78.00: TRY! Peter Umaga-Jensen scores in the corner after a wonderfully slick counter-attack, kick-started by Ngani Laumape, to make the score a bit easier on the eye. 33-16
79.00: MISS! Barrett can’t convert. 33-16
81.00: The hooter sounds, Reece boots the ball into touch.
FULL TIME
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The final score is Crusaders 33 (26) Hurricanes 16 (6)
Scorers
Crusaders
Tries – Taylor (2), Mo’unga, Blackadder, S. Barrett
Pen –
Con – Mo’unga (4)
Drop –
Cards –
Hurricanes
Tries – Riccitelli, P. Umaga-Jensen
Pen – J. Barrett (2)
Con –
Drop –
Cards – A. Savea (Yellow, 19′)
Match Officials
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe
Assistant Ref 1: Mike Fraser
Assistant Ref 2: James Doleman
TMO: Brendon Pickerill
Teams
Crusaders
15 David Havili, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Jack Goodhue, 12 Dallas McLeod, 11 Leicester Fainga’anuku, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Mitchell Drummond, 8 Cullen Grace, 7 Tom Christie, 6 Ethan Blackadder, 5 Samuel Whitelock, 4 Scott Barrett (captain), 3 Michael Alaalatoa, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Joe Moody.
Replacements: 16 Brodie McAlister, 17 George Bower, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Quinten Strange, 20 Sione Havili Talitui, 21 Bryn Hall, 22 Fergus Burke, 23 Will Jordan.
Hurricanes
15 Jordie Barrett, 14 Wes Goosen, 13 Peter Umaga-Jensen, 12 Ngani Laumape, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Jackson Garden-Bachop, 9 Jonathan Taumateine, 8 Ardie Savea (captain), 7 Du’Plessis Kirifi, 6 Reed Prinsep, 5 Isaia Walker-Leawere, 4 James Blackwell, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Asafo Aumua, 1 Fraser Armstrong
Replacements: 16 Ricky Riccitelli, 17 Xavier Numia, 18 Tevita Mafileo, 19 Liam Mitchell, 20 Devan Flanders, 21 Luke Campbell, 22 Billy Proctor, 23 Salesi Rayasi
