The injury-hit Crusaders have scrapped their way to a 25-12 victory over the Reds in Brisbane tonight to move up to third on the Super Rugby Pacific table.
Missing a host of players, including All Blacks Sam Whitelock, Sevu Reece and Ethan Blackadder, the Crusaders led from start to finish against a limited Reds attack.
Wing Leicester Fainga’anuku was again on the scoreboard, scoring a first-half try to take his tally to six in his last three games, but the Crusaders struggled for penetration at Suncorp Stadium.
They were in control in the first half, Richie Mo’unga sending Fainga’anuku away with a nice inside ball and the big wing beating first-half James O’Connor and fullback Jock Campbell to the line.
Lock Dom Gardiner scored a similar try after running on to halfback Noah Hotham’s pass to extend the Crusaders’ lead, and they scored another after halftime through Hotham’s replacement Willi Heinz to all but sew up the win.
“It was a bit scrappy for our liking but we talked all week about the importance of playing the Reds at Suncorp,” Mo’unga said on the Sky broadcast afterwards. “It wasn’t our best performance but we’ll take it.”
The Crusaders haven’t lost to the Reds at Suncorp Stadium since the 2011 Super Rugby final and the one area of the match they will be happy with was their defence.
They were desperate when the Reds broke through, with Mo’unga and Heinz making an important tackle/turnover double act late in the match as the home side chased a losing bonus point, with Fainga’anuku making a huge tackle in the left corner on flanker Fraser McReight.
With first-five O’Connor standing deep and wary of taking the Crusaders’ defence on, the Reds struggled to break through, with left wing Jordan Petaia, a second-half try scorer, easily their most dangerous attacking player.
The Crusaders, after a slow start, are building nicely, having won their last three matches in a row, and, with matches against Moana Pasifika and the Rebels up next, have great opportunities to consolidate themselves at the top of the table before they play a huge match against the Chiefs in Hamilton.
A moment of concern for coach Scott Robertson will have been the sight of All Blacks and Crusaders prop George Bower limping off the field with a knee injury with 10 seconds remaining.
Crusaders 25 (Leicester Fainga’anuku, Dom Gardiner, Willi Heinz tries; Richie Mo’unga 2 pens, 2 cons)
Reds 12 (Tate McDermott, Jordan Petaia tries; Isaac Henry con)
Halftime: 15-7
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