Will Jordan of the Crusaders. Photo: John Davidson / www.photosport.nz
It wasn't pretty, but the Crusaders have recorded a dominant 32-12 win over the Reds in Christchurch. The result means the Crusaders can sit back and watch tomorrow's games to find out who they'll play in next weekend's semi-finals, while the Reds will be wondering where it all went wrong after such a promising start to the season.
A good start would be to look at their scrum, which was smashed to bits by the Crusaders from start to finish in tough conditions thanks to the horrific weather battering the South Island. The Crusaders racked up a 5-0 penalty count early in the first half, with three coming off scrums which in turn were converted into excellent field position.
Scott Barrett got the home side on the board first with a well taken yet slightly questionable try from a turnover near the Reds' line. It certainly appeared that the All Blacks captain came in from an offside position but the referee and TMO seemed more preoccupied with whether Barrett grounded the ball, which he did so the try stood.
The only other scoring in the first half, despite a couple of decent Reds linebreaks, was when Tamaiti Williams crashed over in the 27th minute.
The Reds really needed to score straight after the break if they were to have any chance, however by that stage the game had regressed into more of a kicking duel. A half break by Christian Lio-Willie out of nowhere set up the try of the match to Noah Hotham, with the halfback regathering his own kick despite the attention of several Reds defenders.
From then on, the result was inevitable, and while the Reds were eventually rewarded with a couple of late tries, it was clear that they'd resigned themselves to defeat long before.
It wasn't all perfect for the Crusaders, though. Williams' try was his last act before leaving the field with a knee injury, while Ethan Blackadder was yellow carded for a needless high tackle.
Still, tonight's job was done, and they now sit one game away from ultimate redemption for last season.
Read how the game unfolded with RNZ's live blog:
