MATCH REPORT: Crusaders power past Moana for first back‑to‑back win of the season
The Crusaders headed north to face Moana Pasifika in Round six of Super Rugby Pacific, marking a special night for young midfielder Cooper Grant, and winger Kurtis Macdonald running out as Crusader #304 and #305 respectively for their debuts, and tighthead Fletcher Newell, celebrating his 50th appearance in red and black.
Not only did we celebrate milestones, we also celebrated locking in our first back‑to‑back wins of the season.
Moana kicked off with real intent, keeping it tight and asking questions around the fringes. From the opening kick-off Grant went high, Jordan climbed to claim the return, and Christian Lio‑Willie carried hard into contact.
Early on, Newell was hit high by Moli, giving the Crusaders a first look at the corner. Grant drilled his kick into the right corner, Bell hit Lio‑Willie at the lineout and the maul set, but Moana managed to halt the drive and force play back into midfield.
The early turning point came on four minutes. Julian Savea stayed down after a heavy clean‑out from Grant, leaving the field in obvious discomfort to warm applause, and Moana’s lineout immediately wobbled. A crooked throw was pounced on by Bell, who tapped quickly and surged towards the line.
When the ball went wide, Braydon Ennor straightened down the left touchline, carrying defenders with him as he slammed the ball down in the corner for 5–0.
Grant’s conversion from out wide hooked away, but the Crusaders had first strike.
Moana’s response was to hammer the set piece. Tupou Ta’eiloa and Tom Savage combined from consecutive lineouts, earning an early run of penalties as the Crusaders were pinged for not rolling away and breakdown infringements.
From one attacking throw in the right corner, Moana drove strongly, Lam whipped it to his forwards, and the Crusaders were forced to defend multiple phases within five metres. When Moli lost the ball in contact over the line, it felt like a big let‑off.
Noah Hotham cleared, but Moana came again, using their scrum to apply pressure and forcing a series of resets as they camped on the Crusaders’ five‑metre line.
The Crusaders finally wrestled the momentum back through our work on the floor. On 15 minutes, after another stretch of Moana carries deep in the 22, Hannah produced a crucial steal on his own line, ripping the ball away and allowing Hotham to bang it into touch outside the 22.
It proved a pivotal swing as the Crusaders shifted the ball with much more width, and the back three started to find space.
On 17 minutes, Grant found touch on halfway off a penalty and the lineout ball was clean. Jordan slipped in behind the line down the left, freeing McLeod on his inside. McLeod burst clear, drew the fullback and sent Sevu Reece free on the edge.
The winger did the rest, streaking away to score beside the posts for 10–0, with Grant slotting the simple conversion for 12–0 and his first Super Rugby points.
Moana refused to go away. Their reply came after another spell of controlled, direct play. From 21 minutes, Jones and Savage hammered into contact, Latu punched through a gap and suddenly the Crusaders were scrambling on their own line again. Tupou Ta’eiloa and Ofa had cracks close to the posts, bodies flying everywhere. With the crowd finding its voice, Fai’ilagi drew defenders wide right and slipped a neat ball inside for Ofa to stroll over.
Pellegrini converted to bring it back to 12–7.
The hosts built on that with arguably their best attack of the night. From a lineout just outside the Crusaders’ 22 around the half‑hour mark, Moana went left and Pellegrini’s quick service put Peter Lalomilo into space. He sliced through the first line, accelerated towards the 22 and fixed Jordan perfectly before finding Lam on his inside.
The halfback showed a clean pair of heels to finish near the left touchline. Pellegrini’s conversion from 10 metres in gave Moana a 14–12 lead and whipped the North Harbour crowd into full voice.
The response from the Crusaders was composed. Grant went to the corner again, Lee secured the lineout and the forwards went to work around the corner – McLeod, Bell and Blackadder all taking hard carries as they rolled deep into the 22.
When Moana crept offside, another penalty allowed the Crusaders to reset 20 metres out. This time, after more tight phases through the middle, Grant spotted space on the far edge. He weighted a cross‑kick perfectly to the right wing, where Chay Fihaki climbed, caught it on the full and dotted down in the corner for 17–14 as the clock ticked towards the break.
His conversion attempt from the right sideline faded past the upright, but the lead was back.
The closing minutes of the half were spent almost entirely in Moana’s 22. Newell earned a big scrum penalty, Grant again hammered the ball into the left corner and Bell repeatedly found his jumpers.
Mauls rumbled, Blackadder peeled off and went close, Lio‑Willie and McLeod carried hard. In stoppage time, after another penalty and another drive to the corner, McLeod drove over the line only to be held up by desperate Moana defence.
The halftime whistle sounded with the Crusaders 17–14 ahead, but with a sense there was more to come.
Moana started the second half with ball in hand, going back to their direct game through Jones, Moli and Latu and nibbling away at the Crusaders’ 22.
But the defence held, Newell and Blackadder leading the line, and once the visitors got a chance to clear their lines, the temperature of the match shifted decisively.
On 50 minutes, after Moana had kicked long, Jordan fielded on halfway and launched a counter. Quick ball saw the ball swung left and Leicester Fainga’anuku picked his moment. Holding the ball up just long enough, he burst through the line from around 45 metres out, shrugged off multiple tackles and sped away to finish a brilliant solo try down the left.
Fihaki added the extras from 15 metres in for 24–14 and a clear change in momentum.
Barely three minutes later, the Crusaders went from deep inside their own half to under the posts again. Pellegrini’s high restart was claimed by Hotham, who took off down the left. He linked with McLeod, Newell loomed in support and returned the favour to McLeod, who tore into the 22 before being cut down. With the Moana defence in disarray, Bell spotted his moment close to the ruck, picked and drove hard to the line, crashing over for his first try of the night.
Fihaki’s conversion from out on the left stretched the lead to 31–14.
The dominance of the Crusaders pack was now obvious. Their maul rolled forward, their pick‑and‑go game mauled metres at a time, and Moana’s tackling started to fall off.
On 58 minutes, another attacking lineout on the right saw Blackadder peel off just short, Fainga’anuku go within inches, and then Bell again power through two defenders to score in the right corner.
Fihaki kept his radar on from near the sideline and it was 38–14.
The bench only added to the pressure. Kyle Preston took over at halfback and immediately lifted the pace, while Macdonald and Saifoloi injected fresh energy out wide. On 63 minutes, Saifoloi burst into space on the right, Lee and Blackadder kept the ball alive close to the line and the play was swept back to the left. Fihaki floated a superb long ball to Macdonald, who still had work to do but stood his defender up beautifully and crossed in the corner for a try on debut.
Another clean strike from Fihaki made it 45–14.
The Crusaders weren’t finished. In the 70s, they put together a mammoth multi‑phase attack inside the Moana 22. From a lineout in the left corner, Blackadder, Bower, Cahill and Hannah all took turns punching into contact, Letiu went within five metres and Preston and Saifoloi kept pulling the strings.
As the phases ticked towards thirty, the ball finally went wide right where Fihaki slipped through two tired tackles to score his second of the night. His conversion from 15 metres in on the right drifted across the face, but the Crusaders had brought up 50 points on Moana’s home turf.
Moana still had one punch left. With three minutes to play, they attacked off a scrum in centre field, but when the Crusaders shifted the ball left, Siaosi Nginingini read it and picked off the pass, racing 40 metres to score under the posts. Pellegrini converted for 50–21.
From the final restart, Fainga’anuku broke clear again and chipped ahead into the 22; Pellegrini failed to gather and the Crusaders earned a scrum five metres out, but a rare turnover at the set‑piece brought the match to a close.
For Fletcher Newell, it was a milestone to savour.
“It’s really special. Growing up in the Crusaders region, it’s every young boy’s dream to run out there for the Crusaders just one time and I’m really proud to play 50 games tonight,” he said afterwards.
“The boys did an awesome job to open up some opportunities tonight and I’m really proud of a young 10 who was out there tonight – Coops (Cooper Grant) on debut, did an awesome job and I’m really proud of the lads.”
Head Coach Rob Penney was quick to praise both the preparation and the execution.
“The work was all done in the first half for us, the coaches had a great plan which was executed beautifully,” he said.
“Moana are a passionate team, as are their fans, it’s a tough ask to come here and get maximum points but we’ve done that tonight and I’m proud of the boys.”
Full-time: Crusaders 50 - Moana Pasifika 21
Now we enter a bye week, before preparing for our last ever game at Apollo Projects Stadium.
Come and write the final chapter with us.