As the crowd gathered at Apollo Projects Stadium to witness do-or-die rugby, tensions lifted and there was a new level of excitement for the first Super Rugby Pacific Semi-Final for 2025 between the Blues and the Crusaders. 

James Doleman took charge of the match, and it was Beauden Barrett who got things underway with a shallow kick off down the middle.  

Christian Lio-Willie gathered the ball just outside his 22m, setting the tone for a physical and tactical battle. 

 
Both sides exchanged early kicks and tested each other’s defensive lines.

The Blues struck first after a patient build-up inside the Crusaders 22m. Finlay Christie shifted the ball right to Zarn Sullivan, who linked with Beauden Barrett. A crisp cutout pass found Mark Tele’a, who darted around Sevu Reece to score in the corner. Barrett converted to give the Blues a 7-0 lead. 

 
The Crusaders responded with intensity, but discipline issues crept in. Braydon Ennor was shown a yellow card for a high tackle on Hoskins Sotutu, and shortly after, Kershawl Fisitua joined him in the bin for a similar offence on Scott Barrett.  

Despite being down to 13 men at one point, the Crusaders held firm. 

 
The Blues extended their lead when Rieko Ioane sliced through the defence off a short ball from Tele’a to score under the posts. Barrett added the extras to make it 14-0.  

But the Crusaders weren’t done. They clawed their way back with a powerful maul and a series of close-range carries. Eventually, Tom Christie burrowed over to score, and Rivez Reihana’s conversion brought the score to 14-7. 

 
Momentum began to shift as Will Jordan stepped up. After a strong maul and relentless forward pressure, Jordan danced past Patrick Tuipulotu to score near the posts. Reihana converted to level the score at 14-14 heading into halftime. 

 
The second half began with both teams trading territory and possession. The Blues came close to scoring again after a sustained attack, but the Crusaders defence held strong.  

A key moment came when the Crusaders earned a scrum penalty deep in Blues territory. They opted for the lineout, and after several phases, Jordan once again found space and powered over to give the Crusaders the lead for the first time. 

 
Reihana’s conversion made it 21-14.  

The Blues threw everything at the Crusaders in the final minutes, stringing together over 30 phases inside the 22m. Dalton Papali’i, Ioane, and Tele’a all had strong carries, but the Crusaders’ defence refused to break.  

The crowd were on their feet, the stands roaring to get behind their team, giving the Crusaders the extra boost they needed to hold the Blues off.  

Eventually, the ball spilled loose, and Kyle Preston calmly passed it back to Reihana, who booted it into touch to seal a hard-fought win. 

Head Coach Rob Penney had one word to describe the ending - “tense.” 

“There’s nothing like the Crusader fans in full voice and it was such a pleasure to hear them tonight, there was no doubting who the home team was.” 

“The last few minutes was heart and soul footy; it was just awesome. The boys dug deep, and they showed how much it means to them and how much they care about this place. They wanted to get another week, and they’ve done just that,” says Penney. 

 
Final Score: Crusaders 21 Blues 14