Crusaders Win; Robbie Wins; Rugby Wins

What a game! Two competing rugby philosophies met at AMI Stadium last night. In the red strip were the methodical Crusaders playing their “boring” brand of structured rugby. In the blue were the self-confident Waratahs who were brilliantly led by the boot of Kurtley Beale. For the first 30 minutes it looked like an upset might be on the cards. Thanks to two outstanding tries by Lachlan Turner, the visitors were soon up 12-3.

A great strength of any Aussie side is self-belief. They don’t care about who they’re facing, about relative positions on ladders. As one commentator put it before the game, Aussies stand 10-foot tall, larger than life, and if you wilt under the pressure of the big game, they’ll have you on toast. Indeed, Dan Carter looked like he might wilt a bit as he missed a few important kicks and his opposite number rose certainly to the occasion.

But you can’t win the game without the ball and the Crusaders had it far more than the Tahs. Like the previous week’s semi against the Hurricanes, the Crusaders managed to set up camp in their opposition’s 22. Last week they were in it for 30+ minutes; last night for a hefty 26 minutes. In contrast, I think the Tahs were in the Crusaders’ 22 for just 6 minutes.

Both teams were brilliant in defense. Both teams showed great resolve under enormous pressure. In the end, the difference was probably the fly-halves. After Kurtley Beale went down early in the second half, the Tah’s offence went flat-footed. Scything runs were replaced with flat-footed catches and hopeful prods at the implacable red line. Meanwhile, Dan Carter was just finding his groove. He was flawless in second half with penalties and a drop goal sealing the victory.

Waratah’s fans might argue that the game was a lot closer than the score-line reflected, but one got the feeling that with every minute of the second half the Crusaders just got stronger and stronger. Scott Hamilton fluffed a dead-cert try and Brad Thorn’s punch – the punch that no one saw – saw another try (from Wyatt Crockett) cancelled. The Waratahs were noble in defeat, but the score-line flattered them.

The climax of the game was the ten minute period when 14 Crusaders successfully held off several ferocious Waratah attacks. When Brad Thorn returned from the sin-bin at the 66^th minute, even the Tahs knew they’d lost their chance. Rapid substitutions were made by the visitors, but to no avail. Another penalty and the game was over. The Crusaders have made it 7 victories in 11 years. The only surprise was that more of them weren’t included in today’s All Black selections.

Congratulations to Robbie Deans, Richie McCaw and the mighty Cruaders!

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