The Crusaders are well and truly and back, shaking off their horror season last year to win the Super Rugby Pacific final 16-12 over the Chiefs.
In a game that could be charitably described as one for the purists, the composure of the home side at crucial moments during an incredibly tight second half paved the way for an ultimate victory in front of a packed Apollo Projects Stadium.
It was the boot of Rivez Reihana and a powerful scrum effort that proved the difference between the two sides, with the young first five kicking three penalties and a sideline conversion in the win.
It was an effort that ultimately saw him named man of the match, however he will be giving a lot of gratitude to his forward pack that earned him two of the penalties he kicked directly from scrums.
After a very cagey start where both teams seemed intent on kicking the ball to each other, the Chiefs struck first after finally getting an attacking lineout off a penalty that saw David Havili sin binned for an accidental head clash.
The Chiefs smartly went straight towards the hole that Havili had left, with Luke Jacobson popping a lovely pass to send George Dyer over under the posts.
Codie Taylor scored the only try for the Crusaders 10 minutes later, using all his experience to spot the smallest of gaps in an attacking lineout drive. He burst past some unorganised defence and sprinted 25 metres to score in the corner, which Rivez Reihana crucially converted.
Just before the break Shaun Stevenson dove over in the corner to score a try that was eventually confirmed after a lengthy TMO deliberation, drawing the Chiefs back to within one point at the break.
Any thoughts of the game breaking open in the second half were dashed pretty early, with the ball being launched high early and often. Will Jordan showed his immense value by successfully contesting plenty of bombs, giving Reihana some good front foot ball.
Ultimately, it came down to one big scrum that referee Angus Gardner deemed worthy of a penalty with 10 minutes to play. Reihana calmly knocked it through, forcing the Chiefs to try and score a try to take the lead. Given they’d barely been allowed into the Crusaders’ 22 at all in the second half, it was always going to be an impossible task and the Crusaders simply ground out the win.
The final whistle sparked extra-jubilant celebrations among Rob Penney’s side, who endured such a torrid time last year when they missed the play-offs in the first season without Scott Robertson. For the Chiefs, this will be the most heartbreaking of their three finals losses in a row. Clayton McMillan now leaves without a title, ruing the fact that they gave up home ground advantage in the final by losing to the Blues a fortnight ago.
But for Penney, this will be sweet. Many had picked him to lose his job last season, now he stands as a championship winning coach with a potential contract extension to be discussed. For everyone else though, it feels like things are back the way they used to be – death, taxes and the Crusaders winning… again.
