Lee stars on dream debut as Crusaders bounce back against Highlanders

New Zealand U20s representative Johnny Lee has enjoyed a dream debut in Super Rugby Pacific, scoring twice as the Crusaders claimed a 29-18 win over the Highlanders in another thrilling South Island derby.

Cam Millar was the hero for the Highlanders in their round one win over the Crusaders in Dunedin, with the first five-eighth sinking a late penalty to beat the defending champions. Millar was again among the point-scorers, proving reliable off the kicking tee yet again.

The Highlanders led at the break but the Crusaders took control during the second term, with Lee and All Blacks fullback Will Jordan both standing out. Lee contributed as the defending champions piled on the points during a 17-0 blitz.

It didn’t take the Crusaders long to strike to start the match, with Will Jordan producing a moment of brilliance to open the scoring in the third minute. Jordan found a gap with a right-foot step 30 metres out from the try line, before pinning the ears.

Jordan still had plenty of work to do, carrying a few Highlanders defenders over the try line. Reihana lined up a difficult conversion attempt which missed the mark right, but the Christchurch faithful still made sure to celebrate the red-hot start.

Both teams traded blows without piling on the points in the 10 minutes that followed, before momentum swung the visitors’ way. With the Highlanders on attack inside the Crusaders’ 22, Codie Taylor was shown a yellow card after an infringement at the breakdown.

While the Highlanders didn’t score right away, there was a real sense of confidence about them.

In the 19^th minute, the Highlanders were awarded a short arm free kick on the Crusaders’ feed into a scrum. Folau Fakatava delivered a pinpoint cutout pass to the chest of winger Caleb Tangitau, who set up Tanielu Tele’a for the away team’s first try of the night.

The Highlanders took the lead for the first time shortly after, with front-rower Angus Ta’avao linking up with Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens for the five-pointer. Ta’avao made a 30-metre break downfield before passing the ball onto the fullback, who had too much pace for Reihana.

Millar added the extras as the Highlanders raced out to a 12-5 advantage, but the Crusaders hit back almost immediately. Braydon Ennor was brought down two metres shy of the line in the 30^th minute, before Fletcher Newell burrowed over for the score in the next phase.

Reihana added the extras, but the teams wouldn’t go into the sheds level. Millar converted a 35th-minute penalty attempt to give the Highlanders a three-point lead, and the drama didn’t stop there, with Crusaders prop Finlay Brewis shown a yellow card under review.

Lee was the star of the show in the third quarter of the fixture, with the debutant powering over for a double in a six-minute span. Lee benefited from a tidy Ethan Blackadder offload in the 49^th minute, before making the debut even more special with another effort in the 55^th.

Noah Hotham had been held up in the passage before Lee’s second, but the Crusaders went to the corner and reaped the rewards. Reihana converted both of Lee’s efforts, as the home side went from a six-point deficit to an eight-point lead in the blink of an eye.

Chay Fihaki became the second Crusader to see yellow after a high shot around the one-hour mark, but the home side didn’t leak any more points. Instead, Reihana added another three to the Crusaders’ advantage before Fihaki returned to the contest.

“Immensely proud. Awesome moment for me and my family,” Lee said post-game on Sky Sport.

“Hell of an effort from the boys.”