The Crusaders have won 16 of their last 19 Super Rugby games against the NSW Waratahs (L3), including their last two across which they scored 97 points.
The NSW Waratahs have won three of their last five Super Rugby games at home against the Crusaders (L2), as many as they had won in all their eight home games against them in the competition prior (W3, L5).
- The Waratahs have won three of their last four Super Rugby games on home turf (L1), including their last two on the bounce; the last time they won more in succession at home was a three-game stretch in their first three home games of the 2018 campaign.
- NSW have lost their last 11 straight games against New Zealand opposition in Super Rugby; the last time they won such a fixture was in Round 6, 2019 against the Crusaders (20-12).
- Scott Robertson’s side has not conceded 30 points in a game against the Waratahs since a 32-22 defeat in Round 15, 2015.
- The Crusaders have won 25 of their last 26 Super Rugby games against Australian opposition (L1), including their last 10 on the bounce; they have scored an average of 44 points per game across those last 10 fixtures.
- The Tahs (6) and Saders (5) have scored more tries from mauls in 2022, more than any other teams in the competition.
- The Crusaders have made three kicks forcing a line drop out this season, the joint-most of any team in the competition while the Waratahs have made just one.
- The man from Christchurch has made four 50-22 kicks, more than any other team, while the Sydney side has made only one.
Players to watch
- Alex Newsome has scored four tries in his last five Super Rugby games, including three tries in his last two. In fact, it’s the first time he’s scored in back-to-back games since a run of three games from July to August in 2020.
- No player has beaten more defenders than Richie Mo’unga (36). Izaia Perese’s 29 are the most of any New South Wales player.
Match detail
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1.00: PEEEP! We are underway in Sydney.
2.00: TRY! Dylan Pietsch slides under the posts after an angled run from the second phase off the back of a scrum. Pietsch took Jake Gordon’s delayed pass and fended off Bryn Hall, and raced away from Sevu Reece to score under the posts. 5-0
4.00: CONVERSION! Tane Edmed adds the extars. 7-0
7.00: It’s all Waratahs as the Aussies attack inside the Saders’ 22.
9.00: A nine-phase attack ends with Harry Johnson-Holmes being held up. The Tahs did, however, have a penalty advantage after David Havili is caught offside.
10.00: Edmed kicks the penalty into touch.
11.00: TRY! Izaia Perese fends off Dominic Gardiner’s tackle before holding off Bryn Hall and Fergus Burke. Perese stayed up long enough to offload out the back door to Mark Nawaqanitawase to walk over in the corner. 12-0
13.00: CONVERSION! Edmed slots the wide conversion. 14-0
15.00: A lot of reset scrums, but that is always the case, especially involving Australian teams.
16.00: Angus Bell is pinged for collapsing, Burke boots to the Tahs’ 22.
18.00: A poor lineout by the visitors leads to a NSW scrum and counter-attack from the home team’s 22. The Saders tried to run from their 22 but lost possession with a knock-on.
20.00: Darren Coleman will not be happy that his team squandered a very good opportunity with a knock-on by Bell on the Crusaders’ 22.
24.00: A series of penalties on the Waratahs line, after Sevu Reece was taken out in the air, comes to nothing. Tom Christie is held up over the line for a goalline dropout.
27.00: The Crusaders keep coming. Another barnstorming run by Pablo Matera ends with the flanker losing possession in contact. The Tahs clear the danger, but the Saders have another lineout inside their half to set up an attack.
30.00: Izaia Perese’s linebreak ends with a Crusaders penalty inside their 22. Scott Robertson’s charges are missing lots of first-time tackles, which is unlike the Christchurch outfit.
32.00: The Tahs force another handling error as Oli Jager loses possession on the Aussie 10m.
33.00: Angus Bell is pinged for the third time for collapsing or hinging, it allows Burke to set up an attacking lineout deep in the 22.
34.00: Jed Holloway gets to the middle of the maul to hold up Pablo Matera.
37.00: A 12-phase attack leads to a kickable penalty for the Tahs.
39.00: PENALTY! Edmed increases his side’s lead. 17-0
41.00: The ball is booted to touch.
The halftime score was NSW Waratahs 17 Crusaders 0
41.00: PEEEP! We are back underway down under.
44.00: Havili drops a pass and kills a promising attack for the tourists.
46.00: Leicester Fainga’anuku also knocks-on, but the Tahs were caught offside. Burke boots to the corner.
47.00: PENALTY TRY! The Crusaders think they have scored, but the referee is unsighted, and the TMO could not find a definitive angle to award the try. However, the ref goes to the review and decides on a penalty try and yellow card for Rahboni Warren-Vosayaco. 17-7
48.00: YELLOW CARD! Warren-Vosayaco is off. 17-7
50.00: Tahs win the tunrobver, but concede possession at the next attack.
53.00: A long stoppage for blood injuries gives the players along breather. Crusaders have NSW camped inside their 22 with a defensive scrum.
55.00; NSW give away back-to-back penalties before Reece is tackled into touch.
56.00: Burke kicks to the corner to set up a similar attack as the one that led to the penalty try.
58.00: Ben O’Keeffe misses two forward passes and a possible knock-on by the Crusaders before awarding the visitors a penalty. Warren-Vosayaco is back on after the ref talks to Gordon.
59.00: TRY! David Havili swivels through Jake Gordon’s tackle and reaches out to score. 17-12
60.00: CONVERSION! Burke splits the uprights. 17-14
62.00: Jack Goodhue loses possession into touch.
64.00: NO RED CARD! Hamish Dalzell makes contact to the head of Edmed, but Ben O’Keefee allows the forward to stay on the field. 17-14
67.00: Crusaders kick the ball out on the full, Tahs get an attacking lineout inside the 22.
68.00: Pietsch is tackled into touch, but the ref has to look at another look at a dangerous high tackle by Dalzell on Michael Hooper, who leaves the field.
68.00: RED CARD! Dalzell is off, that is a shocker from the forward – both were red. Poor from the ref. 17-14
69.00: TRY! The Tahs forwards destroy the Saders pack and win a penalty try of their own. 24-14
69.00: YELLOW CARD! Matera goes to the bin. 24-14
74.00: TRY! Newell is over for the score. 24-19
75.00: CONVERSION! Simon Hickey adds the extras. 24-21
79.00: Cullen Grace is isolated after a nine-phase attack, and Sione Havili Talitui enters the breakdown from the side. Referee O’Keeffe has to award the penalty to the Waratahs inside their 22. Can the Tahs see this out?
81.00: The Tahs win piggyback penalties to see out the game and win a famous victory against the Crusaders.
FULL TIME
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The final score is Waratahs 24 (17) Crusaders 21 (0)
Scorers
Waratahs
Tries – Pietsch, Nawaqanitawase, Penalty try
Pen – Edmed
Con – Edmed (2)
Drop –
Cards – Warren-Vosayaco (Yellow, 47′)
Crusaders
Tries – Penalty try, Havili, Newell
Pen –
Con – Burke, Hickey
Drop –
Cards – Dalzell (Red, 68′), Matera (Yellow, 69′)
Match Officials
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe
Assistant Ref 1: Reuben Keane
Assistant Ref 2: Matt Kellahan
TMO: James Leckie
Teams
NSW Waratahs: 15 Alex Newsome, 14 Mark Nawaqanitawase, 13 Izaia Perese, 12 Lalakai Foketi, 11 Dylan Pietsch, 10 Tane Edmed, 9 Jake Gordon (captain), 8 Rahboni Warren-Vosayaco, 7 Michael Hooper, 6 Charlie Gamble, 5 Hugh Sinclair, 4 Jed Holloway, 3 Harry Johnson-Holmes, 2 Mahe Vailanu, 1 Angus Bell.
Replacements: 16 Ed Craig, 17 Te Tera Faulkner, 18 Archer Holz, 19 Geoffrey Cridge, 20 Will Harris, 21 Jack Grant, 22 Ben Donaldson, 23 James Ramm.
Crusaders: 15 Will Jordan, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Jack Goodhue, 12 David Havili, 11 Leicester Fainga’anuku, 10 Fergus Burke, 9 Bryn Hall, 8 Cullen Grace, 7 Tom Christie, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Dominic Gardiner, 3 Oli Jager, 2 Codie Taylor (captain), 1 George Bower.
Replacements: 16 Ricky Jackson, 17 Tamaiti Williams, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Hamish Dalzell, 20 Sione Havili Talitui, 21 Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, 22 Simon Hickey, 23 Dallas McLeod.
