ROUND 12 MATCH REPORT: Crusaders claim late bonus point in narrow Hurricanes loss as Havili marks 150th
The Crusaders were narrowly beaten 38–31 by the Hurricanes at Hnry Stadium in Wellington on Friday night, but a late converted try ensured a valuable bonus point as teams continue to scrap for points in the top six of the Super Rugby Pacific table.
The match marked a major milestone for Captain David Havili, who made his 150th appearance for the club.
Looking to build on a solid performance the previous week and carry momentum from an impressive Super Round weekend, the Crusaders started with real intent and were rewarded early.
After winning an attacking lineout inside the Hurricanes’ 22, the Crusaders kept the ball alive through multiple phases, carrying with patience and control. That pressure eventually told when Leicester Fainga'anuku powered his way over near the line, with Taha Kemara adding the conversion to give the visitors a 7–0 lead.
The Hurricanes responded almost immediately. After a penalty inside the Crusaders' 22, Cam Roigard tapped quickly and the home side surged forward.
Du’Plessis Kirifi eventually forced his way over from close range, with Ruben Love converting to level the scores at 7–all.
Love then put the Hurricanes in front with a penalty after sustained pressure near the Crusaders' line, before the visitors answered back soon after.
A strong lineout take and carry into the midfield drew the Hurricanes offside at the breakdown, allowing Kemara to slot a well taken penalty and bring the score back to 10–all.
Momentum began to swing the Hurricanes way midway through the half. A high kick was regathered and quickly shifted right, allowing Billy Proctor to beat defenders and link with Peter Lakai, who popped a tidy pass to Josh Moorby. The winger finished the movement with pace, Love converted to make it 17–10.
The Hurricanes struck again late in the half. After regathering a kick near halfway, the ball was worked left where Brayden Iose burst into space. His well weighted kick back infield was backed up by Cam Roigard, who gathered cleanly to score.
Love converted to send the home side into the break with a 24–10 lead.
The Crusaders came out firing after the break and were rewarded almost immediately. A midfield carry from Havili drew defenders in, and when the ball was recycled, Noah Hotham spotted space around the fringes, accelerating through a gap to score from outside the 22.
Rivez Reihana converted to reduce the margin to 24–17.
The Hurricanes answered calmly. From a lineout in the Crusaders’ half, they built patiently through their forwards before Roigard delivered a short ball to Raymond Tuputupu, who hit the line at pace and stretched out to score.
Love’s conversion restored a 14‑point lead at 31–17.
Reihana then breathed new life into the Crusaders’ comeback. After a lineout just outside the Hurricanes’ 22, the Crusaders went off the top and used decoy runners to hold the defence. Reihana looped in behind and sliced clean through the line to score, converting his own try to bring the score back to 31–24.
Just as pressure began to build, the Hurricanes struck back with a moment of individual brilliance. From an untidy lineout, Fehi Fineanganofo stepped through traffic, broke clear into space and backed himself to finish the movement by beating the cover defence.
Love converted to push the lead out to 38–24.
The Crusaders refused to go away and were rewarded late. After regaining possession deep in Hurricanes territory, they worked through the phases before Reihana attacked off the scrum. On the next phase, Dom Gardiner charged onto a short ball and muscled his way over, with Reihana converting to secure a crucial bonus point and close the margin to seven.
The Hurricanes were able to shut the game down in the final moments, but the late score ensured the Crusaders left Wellington with something tangible from a narrow loss.
The bonus point is vital at this stage of the competition, with a challenging run home ahead that includes matches against the Blues, Chiefs and a rematch with the Hurricanes.
David Havili said the result was difficult to take on such a significant personal night.
“It’s a tough pill to swallow at the moment but I’ll reflect on the 150 games and I’m just really grateful I got to wear this jersey 150 times.
“We really do enjoy these derbies on both sides. We were going up against the best, so we wanted to test ourselves tonight. It wasn’t quite enough but we’re just about there and I feel like we’re having some great moments.”
Head coach Rob Penney said the contest was decided by fine margins.
“It’s one of those ones that could have gone either way. It was disappointing for Davey’s special occasion we weren’t able to get it across the line for him, but I was so proud of the effort, energy and commitment from the group.
“We’ll be better for it. We’ll take some really good learning components out of that. Small margins though, we were close but not quite.”
Focus now turns to another great NZ derby against the Blues at One New Zealand Stadium on Friday 8 May.
Limited tickets remain.
Full-time: Crusaders 31 – Hurricanes 38