Mac Grealy of the Force and Sevu Reece of the Crusaders tussle for the ball during the Super Rugby Pacific - Crusaders v Force at Apollo Projects Stadium, Christchurch. Photo: John Davidson / Photosport
Wingers Macca Springer and Sevu Reece have sparked a Crusaders tryfest, as the southerners overpowered Western Force 55-33 at Christchurch's Apollo Projects Stadium.
Springer scored five tries and Reece a hattrick, with fullback Will Jordan breaking their monopoly in the final moments, after they led just 20-18 at halftime.
The Australian side had been a surprise in this year's Super Rugby Pacific competition, but fell to their third straight defeat, unable to match the pace and precision of their rivals in perfect conditions for running rugby.
They kept the contest close over the opening 40 minutes, which saw eight lead changes. Springer and Reece reached the break with two tries each, but first-five Tahu Kemara could not find the posts with his boot, which restricted their lead.
After the restart, Reece scored his third, before the introduction of Aussie James O'Connor shifted the Crusaders into another gear, with Springer scoring three more in the space of 10 minutes, all converted by the former Wallaby.
"We just wanted to back up a good performance last week and we had a few debuts, with [former All Black] Braydon Ennor back out there," reflected Crusaders captain David Havili. "It's just great to keep the ball rolling and have a couple of good wins under our belt."
The bonus-point victory sees them join the Chiefs atop the competition table, although the Hamiltonians next face the champion Blues, with a chance to restore their advantage.
The Crusaders face the Blues at Eden Park next Saturday.
Catch up with how it happened with RNZ's live blog:
Team lists
Crusaders: 1. Tamaiti Williams, 2. Codie Taylor, 3. Fletcher Newell, 4. Scott Barrett, 5. Antonio Shalfoon, 6. Corey Kellow, 7. Tom Christie, 8. Christian Lio-Willie, 9. Kyle Preston, 10. Taha Kemara, 11. Macca Springer, 12. David Havili (c), 13. Braydon Ennor, 14. Sevu Reece, 15. Will Jordan
Bench: 16. Ioane Moananu, 17. George Bower, 18. Seb Calder, 19. Tahlor Cahill, 20. Ethan Blackadder, 21. Mitchell Drummond, 22. James O'Connor, 23. Levi Aumua
Force: 1. Marley Pearce, 2. Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 3. Tom Robertson, 4. Jeremy Williams (Captain), 5. Darcy Swain, 6. Will Harris, 7. Kane Koteka, 8. Reed Prinsep, 9. Issak Fines-Leleiwasa, 10. Max Burey, 11. George Poolman, 12. Reesjan Pasitoa, 13. Sio Tomkinson, 14. Harry Potter, 15. Mac Grealy.
Bench: 16. Ryan Coxon, 17. Nic Dolly, 18. Atu Moli, 19. Sam Carter, 20. Josh Thompson, 21. Henry Robertson, 22. Coby Miln, 23. Divad Palu
