Crusaders come from behind to snatch unlikely pre-season victory over Highlanders
The Crusaders have fought back from a 26-point half-time deficit to defeat the Highlanders 28-26 and reclaim the Farmlands Cup in front of a packed crowd in Temuka.
The Temuka Rugby Club was bursting at the seams as locals clambered to see the South Island rivals go head-to-head in their first pre-season clash of the year.
Those in attendance didn’t leave disappointed, as the match hung in the balance right until the final kick of the contest.
It seemed as though the result wasn’t going to be as tight as it eventually turned out to be when the Highlanders roared out to a 26-0 lead at half-time.
Numerous players from the Dunedin side’s backline starred in the opening stanza, which led to some scintillating team tries.
Spearheaded by highly-touted halfback Folau Fakatava was among those to stand out as he provided a high-energy display and put teammates into holes with his crisp, flat passing.
In doing so, he gave the Highlanders plenty of momentum with ball, with midfielders Patelesio Tomkinson and Fetuli Paea – playing against his former side – constantly crashing the Crusaders defensive line.
Electric wing Jona Nareki also made a nuisance of himself through his attacking kicks and sublime footwork, and was rewarded for his efforts with a try from a Fakatava chip kick into the in-goal area.
Livewire fullback Connor Garden-Bachop was perhaps the best of the lot, though, with the youngster making a good impression of himself as he made his first appearance under the eye of head coach Tony Brown.
The collective skills of the entire Highlanders backline was enough to put wing Ngatungane Punivai, another former Crusader, into the corner to score a well-worked first half try following some slick counter-attacking and passing.
The visitors’ other two tries came from hooker Liam Coltman, who – despite the odd wobbly throw at the lineout – capitalised on his forward pack’s cohesion and dominance at the set piece.
Three conversions from four attempts by ex-Crusaders playmaker Mitch Hunt put the Highlanders in good stead at the break, but an overhaul in personnel from both teams for the second half sparked a monumental comeback from the hosts.
The Offload panel discuss whether England's Saracens contingent should be picked on merit over form… ???????? pic.twitter.com/PQ63qumGyg
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The introduction of Timoci Tavatavanawai, a wider training squad member for the Crusaders who is yet to play at Mitre 10 Cup level, proved crucial for the reigning Super Rugby Aotearoa champions.
Despite his inexperience at first-class level, the former Fiji U20 wing hardly looked out of place as he scorched the Highlanders’ defence on two separate occasions to grab a brace in his first outing as a Crusader.
Just how often Tavatavanawai will feature for Scott Robertson’s side this year remains to be seen given the depth of quality in his outside back stocks, but he certainly caught the eye as the Crusaders clawed their way back into the game.
Equally as impressive was the barnstorming run made by 140kg rookie prop Tamaiti Williams, who burst well into Highlanders territory from inside his own half to set up fellow front rower Fletcher Newell for the Crusaders’ third try.
Trailing by just five points and dominating the second-string Highlanders side, the Crusaders took full advantage of their opponents’ ill-discipline to bag a try, scored by Sione Havili, from a rolling maul with only a couple of minutes left to play.
An unblemished kicking record off the tee from one-test All Blacks first-five Brett Cameron edged the Crusaders ahead by two points, but the Highlanders had the chance to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat when they were handed a penalty on full-time.
Replacement first-five Caleb Makene stepped up to take the shot at goal from about 45 metres out on the angle, but his attempt fell short of the mark as the ball hit the padding on the post.
That allowed the Crusaders to boot the ball out of play to reaffirm their status as Farmlands Cup champions for a third year running.
The victory came with a cost, though, as loosehead prop Oli Jager left the field with a potentially serious injury and was unable to put weight on his left foot.
As for the Highlanders, locks Josh Dickson (head knock) and Bryn Evans (ribs) were the only casualties, although both are expected to be back in action soon.
The Highlanders will continue their pre-season against the Hurricanes in Alexandra next week, while the Crusaders will face the Blues in Auckland.
Crusaders 28 (Tries to Timoci Tavatavanawai (2), Fletcher Newell and ??; 4 conversions to Brett Cameron)
Highlanders 26 (Tries to Liam Coltman (2), Jona Nareki and Ngatungane Punivai; 3 conversions to Mitch Hunt)
Comments on RugbyPass
We’re building a bridge but can't agree where the river is.
2 Go to commentsfirst no arms shoulder or helmet tackle into his rib cage is going to be so very painful even to watch. go back to RU mate.
1 Go to commentsBulls by 5. Plus another 50.
3 Go to commentsJohan Goosen avatar. Cute. Surely someone at RP knows how to do a google image search?
3 Go to commentsCan’t these games play a little earlier? Asking for a friend.
3 Go to commentsIt’s impressive that we can see huge stadiums with attendance in the 40 000 to 50 000 region. It shows how popular this competition is becoming. What is even more impressive is the massive growth in broadcast viewership. The URC is one of the two best leagues in the World, the other being the Top14.
7 Go to commentsChristie is not Sottish, like the majority of the Scotland team.
2 Go to commentsHold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
45 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
2 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
7 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
45 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
45 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to comments