Clinical Crusaders are into the Super Rugby Pacific final after a pulsating 21-14 win against dethroned champions, the Blues.

Super Rugby Pacific is a competition I have loved watching this season, and the play-offs have been as close to Test rugby as one will get. The Blues, 82nd minute winners against the Chiefs in Hamilton a week ago, promised that their title defence would not be gift-wrapped and handed to the Crusaders.

Blues coach Vern Cotter, when asked about the 30 play-off match unbeaten streak of the Crusaders in Christchurch, said there would some day be a first defeat and that he believed it would be on Friday. Cotter, in a frantic final five minutes, must have felt it was going to be his team to give the Crusaders the blues.

His team had led from the beginning with an early Mark Tele’a try and changed halves 14-all. It took the Crusaders 70-plus minutes to lead 21-14, three tries to two, and that match situation would be how it ended.

The Blues did not go quietly, despite losing yellow carded Hoskins Sotutu for an accidental head clash in the final 10 minutes.

Sotutu’s card was harsh, in that he was stepped and couldn’t do much with any change of direction. These cards for accidental head clashes are nonsense. Common sense must win on this one. Hopefully it does, sooner rather than later.

The Blues took the ball through 38 phases and finished on the Crusaders try line. From the resulting penalty advantage, they attacked again, but this time they could not take it past five pick and goes and the Crusaders turned over the ball, right under their own posts and cleared the ball into the night sky.

They are now unbeaten in 31 successive play-off matches and will host No 32 in next weekend’s final against one of the Chiefs, from New Zealand or the Brumbies from Australia.

NZ HERALD ON CRUSADERS WIN 

BE WARNED: SUPER RUGBY IS PROPER

Src: keo.co.za