Round 2 of Super Rugby Pacific and afternoon footy returned to Christchurch at Apollo Projects Stadium with added meaning, as the Crusaders and Brumbies met on the 15‑year anniversary of the February 22 earthquake.  

A strong crowd gathered under clear skies and warm conditions as the Brumbies were led out by James Slipper in his 200th Super Rugby Pacific appearance. 

But before the visitors got things underway, there was a moment before kick-off to pause as we acknowledge the significance of the day, with first responders present for a moment of silence, as we acknowledged their tireless work in the weeks and months following the earthquake as we rebuilt our city. 

The opening minutes of the match were scrappy, with both sides struggling to settle.  

The Crusaders spilled the kick‑off and were forced to clear from deep, but early defensive resolve helped them weather pressure inside their own 22.  

The Brumbies looked keen to play with width, though execution was patchy in the early exchanges. 

Field position soon swung the home side’s way. After absorbing early pressure, the Crusaders began to establish themselves through their set piece, winning territory and forcing the visitors back.  

That pressure showed when a lineout drive rolled towards the line and David Havili stayed patient at the front of the attack, driving through contact and grounding the ball to open the scoring.  

Taha Kemara converted to give the Crusaders a 7‑0 lead. 

That early advantage proved difficult to build on. The Crusaders spent long periods defending in their own half, persisting with direct carries into a strengthening breeze. 

George Bell was busy through the middle, charging into contact repeatedly, while Will Jordan and Chay Fihaki showed intent whenever space appeared, but opportunities were limited as territory became hard to win. 

The Brumbies gradually imposed themselves and were rewarded when their pressure finally told. Slipper carried strongly to the left, before the ball was worked back infield and then wide again.  

Andy Muirhead hit a hard line, stepped back inside the defence and reached out to score, bringing the visitors onto the board at 7–5. Lonergan followed soon after, knocking the conversion over from left of the posts to level the scores.

The Crusaders responded with their sharpest attacking passage of the half. Kemara spotted space in behind and weighted a kick perfectly for Fihaki, who split the defence and dragged defenders with him before offloading off the deck. Bell finished the movement under the posts, and the conversion restored a 14–7 advantage. 

Straight from the restart, pressure at the breakdown swung momentum back the Brumbies’ way.  

A turnover and a costly clearance gifted the visitors a lineout inside the Crusaders’ 22, and they showed patience from there. After several phases and a series of offloads close to the line, Slipper crossed in the left corner to score in his milestone match.  

Lonergan converted to bring the scores back level at 14–14. 

The visitors finished the half on the front foot. Continued territorial pressure forced repeated infringements, and eventually Antonio Shalfoon was sent to the bin.  

From the ensuing scrum, Charlie Cale kept things simple, picking up from the base and charging hard down the left, getting low enough to force the ball to the ground and push his side in front.  

Lonergan hurried his conversion attempt in the breeze and dragged it wide, but the Brumbies edged ahead 19–14. 

There was time for one final exchange before the break, with the Crusaders making a couple of solid busts off the last scrum to retain possession.  

At the interval, the Brumbies held a deserved five‑point lead, having dominated territory and used the breeze more effectively, while the Crusaders were left knowing they would need more ball and better field position if they were to turn the contest after the break. 

Half-time 19-14 to the Brumbies. 

The Crusaders began the second half with intent, looking to lift their tempo and spend more time in attacking territory. Early exchanges were evenly contested, with both sides trading kicks and exits as they searched for control. 

The first major moment after the break went the Brumbies’ way.  

After stealing a lineout, they worked into midfield before Declan Meredith dropped a kick in behind. A cruel bounce sat perfectly for Kadin Pritchard on the angle, and he burst through the defensive line, stepping past Kemara and charging down the left edge to score.  

The conversion drifted wide, but the Brumbies had stretched their lead to 24–14. 

The Crusaders responded with urgency. They built through their forwards and shifted the ball quickly to the edge, where Sevu Reece finished in the left corner to pull the margin back.  

Again, the conversion missed, closing the deficit back to five points.  

That momentum was quickly halted. From broken play, the Brumbies struck again down the left, with Charlie Cale showing impressive pace to race away and claim his second try of the afternoon. The score was followed by a review that saw Dom Gardiner shown a yellow card for indirect head contact, further compounding the pressure on the home side. 

Despite being reduced to fourteen, the Crusaders continued to work their way into attacking positions. Sustained pressure inside the 22 eventually paid off when Louie Chapman created width and found Leicester Fainga’anuku, who cut back infield and powered his way over to give the home crowd some renewed belief. 

That hope was short‑lived. The Brumbies returned to their strengths, showing patience and accuracy up front. From another sustained drive close to the line, Liam Bowron finished from close range as the visitors edged further clear. 

The final quarter belonged firmly to the Brumbies. Rob Valetini crashed over under the posts to secure the bonus point, before Corey Toole capped a standout afternoon with a length‑of‑the‑field effort, slicing through the defensive line and racing away to score under the posts.  

A late conversion rounded out the scoring as the Brumbies calmly saw out the final moments. 

At full‑time, the Brumbies had secured a 50‑24 victory, their first win in Christchurch in more than 25 years.  

It was a performance built on forward dominance and sharp execution out wide, with Slipper marking his 200th Super Rugby Pacific appearance with a try of his own. 

Head Coach Rob Penney was candid in his assessment afterwards. 

“That was pretty brutal. We started off well and created a few opportunities but were just lacking cohesion, the Brumbies just grew on the back of that,” he said. 

“Our set piece, particularly our line out imploded. We just couldn’t get any pressure building moments and stumbled repeatedly. 

“We’re doing all the right things to set ourselves up, something just isn’t quite right at the moment. We’re in a bit of a hole now and we need to get ourselves out of it. We’ll be working really hard to do that.” 

Final score: Crusaders 24 Brumbies 50