The Crusaders settled their long account with the Blues on Friday night, running out 36-20 winners at a sold-out Te Kaha after trailing at halftime, with prop George Bower scoring his maiden Super Rugby try in his 100th match for the franchise.
It was a result that quietly tilted the Super Rugby Pacific table back the way the Crusaders prefer it, with the southern franchise climbing the standings ahead of a bye week that lands at exactly the right time. The Blues, who came south with one win from 15 previous visits to Christchurch across the franchise’s history, leave with that record intact and a backline that ran into a Crusaders pack that simply ground them down after the break.
The first half was a contest. The Blues led 13-12 at the interval, with centre AJ Lam producing the play of the half, a long, broken-field run through the middle of the Crusaders defence that ended in a try and momentarily had the visitors looking like the more clinical side. Hoskins Sotutu and Sam Nock would later add second-half tries for the Blues, but the visitors were chasing the game from the moment the Crusaders began winning the gain line in the second forty.
The story of the night, though, was Leicester Fainga’anuku at openside flanker. The All Black has been on the franchise’s experimental hybrid path this season, splitting time between the backline and a converted role on the side of the scrum, and the experiment looked complete on Friday. His statistical return was eye-catching, with two try assists via kicks, 15 tackles, three turnovers won at the breakdown, and four defenders beaten, and the eye test backed up the numbers. RugbyPass compared the performance to Ardie Savea’s defining game for Moana Pasifika against the same opponent last year, and on Friday’s evidence Fainga’anuku has put himself squarely in the All Blacks selection conversation for the openside role.
The fairy-tale moment, though, belonged to George Bower. The 25-test prop had not scored in 99 previous Super Rugby appearances. A slick lineout move in the second half changed that, with Bower bursting over from close range to record his first try in red and black. He left the field minutes later to a standing ovation from the sold-out Te Kaha crowd. Bower, more often praised for his graft and his community work than for highlight-reel moments, had finally found the tryline at the perfect time.
After Bower’s try, the Crusaders compounded the damage. Lock Jamie Hannah finished a maul. Halfback Rivez Reihana sniped from a ruck. Replacement halfback Kyle Preston added a counter-attacking try after the Blues had over-committed. Sevu Reece dotted down on the right wing in characteristic style. Hooker George Bell rounded out the scoring. By the final whistle the board read 36 to 20 and the Blues were left to count what had gone wrong after the break.
For the Crusaders, the result feeds a familiar narrative. After an uneven start to the season, the side has begun rebuilding its hard edge through May. Will Jordan is close to returning from injury, the loose forward trio is settling, and Te Kaha has now genuinely begun to feel like a fortress in the way Lancaster Park and the AMI Stadium did before it. The franchise has a bye week ahead to ice its bumps and look at the playoff math, sitting fifth on the table with a clearer run home than several of the sides above them.
For the Blues, the picture is murkier. The visitors arrived south with most of their first-choice pack and, despite the encouraging halftime lead, ended the night looking laboured. Caleb Clarke had moments without breaking the game open. The midfield, featuring Lam and Rieko Ioane, was strong with ball but exposed without it. The Blues stay in playoff contention but their record in Christchurch will continue to nag. One win in 16 attempts is the kind of statistic that leaks into players’ heads in the closing stages of a tight match.
There was also a nostalgic flourish on Friday night. The Crusaders horses, retired from match-day duties two seasons ago in a contentious decision, returned to the field at Te Kaha. The crowd response, a long, building roar that rolled around the stadium, suggested the franchise had read the room correctly when it brought them back.
Super Rugby Pacific now enters the run home with Round 14 to follow next weekend. The Crusaders have their bye, the Blues travel home to take stock, and the table compresses further. The Hurricanes still lead the competition with the Chiefs in close pursuit, but the Crusaders, with several rounds remaining, are now once again the side nobody in the competition wants to draw in a quarterfinal.
For the full live blog of the match, see RNZ’s coverage.
What did you make of Fainga’anuku’s flanker masterclass and Bower’s milestone moment? Drop a comment below and let us know.
This article was written by AI, briefed to report the facts, hopefully without some of the bias people bring to the job 🙂
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