The Crusaders have won their last 10 consecutive Super Rugby games against the Queensland Reds, including a 28-15 win when they met in the final regular-season round of the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific season.
This will be the fourth postseason meeting between the Crusaders and Queensland Reds in Super Rugby competitions and the first since 2013.
- The Crusaders (11-3) have won two of their past three finals meetings versus Queensland, although the Reds (8-6) were successful in their only Super Rugby final meeting (18-13 in 2011).
- Queensland has not won in New Zealand since 2013 and their last win over the 10-time champions was the 2011 Super Rugby final in Brisbane.
- The Saders have won their last 10 consecutive finals games in Super Rugby, leading at half-time on the day in all 10 of those fixtures; their last post-season defeat came at the hands of the Lions in 2016 (42-25).
- The Kiwis have won 13 of their last 14 Super Rugby games against Australian opposition (L1), including their last three on the bounce, and haven’t lost at home to an Aussie outfit since the opening round of the 2015 campaign against the Melbourne Rebels (20-10).
- The Reds have won two of their last three Super Rugby finals games (L1) and won two of their last three finals games against New Zealand opposition (L1) despite scoring more than 18 points in a game only once in a game that period.
- The Queensland Reds have lost their last eight Super Rugby games away from home against teams based outside Australia, scoring more than 20 points in a game only twice.
- The Queensland Reds have made 47 turnover tackles, the joint-most of any team in the competition, and 11 more than the Crusaders (36).
Players to watch
- Leicester Fainga’anuku finished the regular season as the top scorer with 10 tries, scoring two hat-tricks.
- Will Jordan scored nine tries in the regular season, the second-most in the campaign.
- Sevu Reece has made 15 line breaks, the most of any player. Reece scored two tries and made three line breaks across his three appearances against the Reds.
- Jock Campbell and Reece finished tie-third on the try-scoring charts, dotting down eight times each.
Match detail
We are waiting for the kick-off.
In the meantime, why not have a look at the match preview.
1.00: PEEEP! We are underway in Christchurch for the first Super Rugby quarter-final of 2022.
2.00: Lawson Creighton is going to need to be on song for the Reds if they are to come through this game. The youngster is up against Richie Mo’unga, which on paper, is a mismatch.
4.00: There’s a lot of aimless kicking, similar to last week between the two teams.
5.00: Queensland wins a kickable penalty.
6.00: PENALTY! Creighton opens the scoring from almost in front. 0-3
8.00: Angus Blyth knocks on the restart to give the hosts an attacking scrum outside the Reds’ 22.
9.00: Another two penalties, at the scrum and for offside, sees Mo’unga call for the tee.
10.00: PENALTY! Mo’unga levels from in front. 3-3
13.00: The Crusaders had a defensive scrum on their 22 after a Reds’ mistake on the attack. The ball was kicked away to Campbell to set up a counter-attack, which ends in a Saders’ penalty after Liam Wright did not support his bodyweight.
15.00: TRY! Will Jordan – who else? – slides over for the first try of this trans-Tasman quarter-final. The Crusaders won their lineout and went wide to the fullback, who is pulled over the line by Suliasi Vunivalu. 8-3
16.00: CONVERSION! Mo’unga adds the conversion. 10-3
18.00: Jordan has had another outstanding season, scoring 10 tries to go level with Fainga’anuku. The 24-year-old fullback has now scored 35 Super Rugby tries in 43 matches, which is insane!
19.00: A powerful scrum wins the home team a relieving penalty to set up an attacking lineout in the opposition’s half. The Crusaders go through the phases before winning an offside penalty. Mo’unga kicks to the corner.
21.00: Seru Uru clears the danger after the Reds won a turnover on their line; however, the Kiwis are coming right back from the lineout. Thorn’s men win the lineout and start an attack from their half.
23.00: Pablo Matera drops Havili’s flat pass to give the Reds an attacking scrum on the Saders’ 22. The Crusaders had won the turnover, but Matera – lucky to be playing after his tip-tackle last weekend – lost possession.
24.00: Superb work by Blackadder to win the turnover penalty.
25.00: TRY! Codie Taylor’s overthrown lineout is stolen by the Reds. Tate McDermott sent a long pass out to Jordan Petaia, who sucked in Jordan before sending Suliasi Vunivalu away on the touchline. Vunivalu still had to beat the two cover-defenders and dot down before his knee touched the chalk, Stunning finish from the winger! 10-8
26.00: MISS! The kick is wide. 10-8
29.00: Taylor is held up trying to score from the broken driving maul.
31.00: Scott Robertson’s men are dominating the scrum, George Bower, playing his 50th match, and Oli Jager is eating their opponents.
32.00: PENALTY! Mo’unga increases the lead. 13-8
34.00: Sef Fa’agase comes on for fellow tighthead prop Feao Fotuaika, who has had a nightmare in the scrums. That is a straight swap six minutes before the break. Wow!
37.00: Vunivalu’s kick is charged down inside the 22 and the Crusaders gather to kickstart a counter-attack. Several phases later (13), the hosts win a penalty for offsides.
39.00: PENALTY! Mo’unga adds another three points. 16-8
41.00: NO TRY! Jordan knocked on in the build-up to Fainga’anuku’s score. 16-8
The halftime score was Crusaders 16 Queensland Reds 8
41.00: PEEEP! We are back underway at Orangetheory Stadium in the Garden City.
43.00: TRY! A slick backline move from a 50/22 lineout ends with Creighton putting away Filipo Daugunu, who dived over untouched.
44.00: CONVERSION! The kick is good. 16-15
46.00: Scott Barrett charged down McDermott’s clearance, but Liam Wright wins an important turnover penalty.
49.00: MISS! Creighton misses a sitter; that will be crucial at the end of this game. 16-15
53.00: The Saders set up an attacking lineout and win a penalty after a powerful maul, but a forward pass chalks off Reece’s walk-in try.
54.00: The Reds have conceded 11 penalties, but somehow, Thorn’s side holds up the next driving maul to win an important turnover. superb defending.
57.00: TRY! The Saders took a quick-tap penalty after winning a third scrum penalty under the posts. Scott Barrett went close before Hall sent a long pass out to Mo’unga. The 28-year-old, standing deep, raced on to Hall’s pass before cutting inside Petaia and Harry Wilson to score his 29th Super Rugby try. 21-15
59.00: CONVERSION! Mo’unga converts his score. 23-15
61.00: More pressure from the hosts sees them win a scrum for a knock-on inside the Reds’ 22.
62.00: Big scrum by the visitors to win a relieving scrum penalty. That was much-needed.
65.00: TRY! Jordan and Fainga’anuku’s linebreaks set up a thrilling score that sees Reece dance his way inside four defenders to score his ninth try of the season. Jordan beat Vunivalu before sucking in Hunter Paisami. Fainga’anuku brushed aside Wright as he charged forward and bounced off Tate McDermott, who left the field after being knocked out. Mo’unga sent a long cutout pass to Havili, who played Reece on the sideline. The Fijian Flyer did the rest. 28-15
66.00: CONVERSION! Mo’unga does not miss. 30-15
70.00: The Reds need to score twice and quickly if they want to cause an upset.
73.00: Another penalty leads to Mo’unga going to the corner. This will be it!
75.00: TRY! Williams, a late replacement for Finlay Brewis, crashes over from close range. Game over! 35-15
76.00: CONVERSION! The kick is good. 37-15
79.00: NO TRY! Richie Asiata’s overthrown lineout on his try line ends with George Bridge walking over in the corner. Williams, however, lost the ball forward to chalk off the try. 37-15
81.00: The Crusaders book their place in another Super Rugby semi-final at home next weekend.
FULL TIME
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The final score is Crusaders 37 (16) Reds 15 (8)
Scorers
Crusaders
Tries – Jordan, Mo’unga, Reece, Williams
Pen – Mo’unga (3)
Con – Mo’unga (4)
Drop –
Cards –
Reds
Tries – Vunivalu, Daugunu.
Pen – Creighton
Con – Creighton
Drop –
Cards –
Match Officials
Referee: Brendon Pickerill
Assistant Ref 1: James Doleman
Assistant Ref 2: Angus Mabey
TMO: Glenn Newman
Teams
Crusaders: 15 Will Jordan, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Jack Goodhue, 12 David Havili, 11 Leicester Fainga’anuku, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Bryn Hall, 8 Cullen Grace, 7 Ethan Blackadder, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Scott Barrett (captain), 3 Oli Jager, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 George Bower.
Replacements: 16 Brodie McAlister, 17 Tamaiti Williams, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Zach Gallagher, 20 Tom Christie, 21 Mitch Drummond, 22 Braydon Ennor, 23 George Bridge.
Queensland Reds: 15 Jock Campbell, 14 Suliasi Vunivalu, 13 Jordan Petaia, 12 Hamish Stewart, 11 Filipo Daugunu, 10 Lawson Creighton, 9 Tate McDermott (co-captain), 8 Harry Wilson, 7 Liam Wright (co-captain), 6 Seru Uru, 5 Angus Blyth, 4 Ryan Smith, 3 Feao Fotuaika, 2 Matt Faessler, 1 Harry Hoopert.
Replacements: 16 Richie Asiata, 17 Dane Zander, 18 Sef Fa’agase, 19 Connor Vest, 20 Angus Scott-Young, 21 Fraser McReight, 22 Kalani Thomas, 23 Hunter Paisami.
