An iron defense and two tries from Cullen Grace allowed the Canterbury Crusaders to qualify for the Super Rugby Pacific final on Friday at the expense of the Waikato Chiefs 20-7, score acquired at half-time, at the end of a breathless match in Christchurch.
Deprived of possession over long playing times, reduced to 14 for 20 minutes after the final exclusion of Argentine flanker Pablo Matera, the Crusaders had to work like never before in defense, and come out of their match with 222 successful tackles, a Super Rugby record.
In the final, they will face, with the aim of winning an 11th title, the Auckland Blues or the ACT Brumbies, on the bill for the second semi-final scheduled for Saturday.
«The guys like a challenge, and there were times when we were down to 14 where it really had to be faced“, commented the captain of the Crusaders, Scott Barrett, stressing that patience had been the key to the victory of his people.
Illustration of the fierce defense of the Crusaders, in the first half, the Chiefs pounded their test line for ten minutes without being able to score a single point.
Opposite, Chiefs captain Brad Weber struggled to accept defeat. “It really hurts, there will probably be a lot of regrets“, he said. “It’s one of those games that I come away from feeling like we lost more than they beat us.»
