The Crusaders produced the kind of statement performance that finals rugby is built on, running in seven tries to thrash competition leaders the Hurricanes 47-14 at One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch on Friday night and climbing into third place on the Super Rugby Pacific table just as the playoffs come into view.
In the final round of the regular season, Rob Penney’s side were close to ruthless under the new stadium roof, scoring three unanswered tries before the break and never letting the visitors settle. The hosts dominated possession and territory, starved the Hurricanes of the ball and turned defence into attack at will, the pick of the lot a full field counter that ended with Noah Hotham crossing after a flowing move.
The night belonged to Sevu Reece, who marked his 100th appearance for the Crusaders with two tries, one to open the scoring from close range and one to close the match out as the Hurricanes tried to run from deep. The wing now sits clear at the top of the franchise’s all time try scoring list, taking his tally in the red and black to 73. Noah Hotham, Johnny McNicholl, Christian Lio-Willie, Manumaua Letiu and Kyle Preston also dotted down, with Taha Kemara reliable off the tee. Brad Shields and Pouri Rakete-Stones scored the Hurricanes’ two tries.
There was an unusual interruption at the interval. A pyrotechnic mishap during a Men’s Mental Health Match acknowledgement left the field shrouded in smoke and haze, delaying the restart while the air cleared. It was the only thing all evening that slowed the Crusaders down.
Context matters with a scoreline this lopsided. The Hurricanes had already locked up the top seed and the home ground advantage that comes with it, and according to Stuff coach Clark Laidlaw rested several frontline players for the trip south, even as halfback Cam Roigard returned. That takes a little gloss off the margin, but it does not change what the win does for the Crusaders’ momentum heading into the knockout rounds.
It was also a reminder of how much this Crusaders campaign has been shaped by injury. Will Jordan was ruled out for the remainder of the season with a calf problem picked up the previous week against the Chiefs, removing the team’s most dangerous strike weapon at the worst possible time. In his absence Johnny McNicholl slotted in at fullback and looked at home in the role, inserting himself into the attacking line and grabbing a try, a useful sign for a side that will need its outside backs firing in the playoffs.
Penney kept his feet on the ground afterwards, telling RNZ that the job was far from done. “We’ve got a season to finish off here. That’s the focus,” he said. The win carries a little extra weight for the coach, who is in his final season in charge before Scott Hansen returns to take over as head coach from 2027.
The result reshuffled the bottom half of the top four. As RugbyPass reported, the bonus point victory lifted the Crusaders above the Blues and into third, three points clear with one round still to play. That throws the spotlight squarely onto Saturday night in Hamilton, where the Blues must beat the Chiefs to claim a home qualifying final of their own. Lose, and Mark Robinson’s men will be travelling in the first week of the playoffs.
Under the Super Rugby Pacific format the top six advance, with the qualifying finals seeding the first against the sixth, the second against the fifth and the third against the fourth. The Hurricanes have confirmed they will host their qualifying final at Wellington on Friday 5 June, with the Chiefs hosting at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton on Saturday 6 June, according to the NZ Herald. For the Crusaders, finishing third keeps a home final on the table, the kind of reward a team battered by injury all year would dearly value.
For a franchise that has set the standard in this competition for the best part of two decades, a seven try win over the table toppers is exactly the form line they wanted to carry into June. The Hurricanes will shrug it off as a dead rubber with a weakened side, and there is truth in that. But the Crusaders looked sharp, structured and dangerous, and after a season spent patching holes, that is a far happier place to be than where they sat a few weeks ago.
The Highlanders, the fifth New Zealand side, finished ninth and missed the finals, ending their campaign well short of the top six.
What do you make of the Crusaders’ run into the playoffs, and can a side missing Will Jordan still go all the way? Have your say in the comments below.
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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