Match Reports

It was a hat-trick for the Crusaders’ first game in Christchurch in nearly two years – the welcome-home, the weather and the win.  The Crusaders took on the Cheetahs in their new home ground last night and won 28 points to 21.

It was the first match to be played in the new AMI Stadium at Addington and Christchurch turned it all on to make for a spectacular night.  When the Minister for Earthquake Recovery Gerry Brownlee officially declared the stadium open, the full-capacity crowd became a sea of red and black as 15,000 Crusaders flags were waved to welcome the team back home. Fans then soaked up both the balmy evening and the electric atmosphere as the Crusaders entered the stadium, marking the return of Investec Super Rugby to quake-hit Christchurch.

The perfect script continued as the Crusaders put the first points on the board six minutes in, with a penalty from Tom Taylor in his first start in an Investec Super Rugby match.    

The Crusaders conceded the next penalty, however, when they were caught offside. Taylor got two more opportunities goal in the next fifteen minutes, successfully converting one of them to put the score at 6-3 to the Crusaders thirty minutes in.

Some slick moves from the Crusaders backline got Sean Maitland over the line for the first try of the match.  Taylor missed the conversion so the Crusaders headed into halftime up by 11 points to 3.

The second half saw the return of Dan Carter to the field for the first time this year. He wasted no time in making his mark, finding a gap for Robbie Fruean to sail through for the second try of the match.

The Crusaders were now up 18-3, but the Cheetahs showed a flash of brilliance with a try that was initiated from the other end of the field.  The Cheetahs missed the conversion, but nailed a penalty soon after to put them back in the running.

A few minutes later, Taylor added another three points to the Crusaders with a penalty kick, putting them more than a converted try out of reach again.  That turned out to be fortunate because the Cheetahs were the next to score a try, and the conversion was good.  A penalty goal to the Cheetahs a few minutes later put things all square at 21 points a pop.

The Crusaders were determined to top off this momentous occasion with a win though, and three players pushed over the try line within four minutes.  Unfortunately the first two attempts from Andy Ellis and Tom Taylor were judged to be no try by the TMO, but there was no mistaking the third attempt from Israel Dagg.  Taylor’s conversion provided the fulltime score of 28-21 to the (finally) home team.