Crusaders stay on top
The Crusaders remain undefeated in the 2008 Super 14 after seeing off the Waratahs in Christchurch.
Last Updated: 21/03/08 9:25am
The Crusaders remain undefeated in the 2008 Super 14 after seeing off a determined Waratahs outfit 34-7 at AMI Stadium in Christchurch.
It wasn't pretty, and on a match played on Good Friday over the Easter weekend, there really wasn't all that much good about it as far as the first half was concerned.
The home side could only manage putting six points past their visitors in the opening 40 minutes, but turned things around in the second half by scoring four tries for another bonus point victory.
The Crusaders had scored 27 tries before this game and made sure of four more to keep their position at the top of the Super 14 table intact.
The Waratahs will leave Christchurch wondering what they have to do in order to beat their trans-Tasman rivals after taking an early lead in the second half.
However 28 unanswered points in the final 26 minutes saw the Crusaders steam home.
Perfect conditions
Played in perfect conditions, neither side was able to consistently crack the oppositions' defence, with the Crusaders having to rely on two Dan Carter penalties for their lead.
The first was slotted as early as the second minute after Waratahs' lock Dan Vickerman was penalised for bringing down opposite number Ali Williams in the line-out.
The second came two minutes from half-time, winger Lote Tuqiri paying the price for tackling from an off-side position according to the new laws.
Try-scoring opportunities were rare - for the Waratahs especially - and the Crusaders will have been grilled in the half-time sheds by coach Robbie Deans after spilling too much ball.
Approaching the 30-minute mark, the handling errors were shared at six a piece - a reflection on the stop/start affair that would have had the AMI Stadium crowd using their match programs in disgust.
But things looked up in the second half, and the spectators would have been glad they stuck around - even if it was the opposition that got the ball rolling.
The Waratahs' first serious foray in the second stanza bore a strong result when scrum-half Brett Sheehan targeted the fringe of the ruck.
Opening try
Drawing two defenders, Sheehan off-loaded to replacement prop Tatafu-Polota-Nau who found himself in space before shifting the ball inside to number eight Wycliff Palu for the game's opening try.
Palu touched down under the posts and when Kurtley Beale converted the Waratahs led 7-6.
However a stroke of brilliance in the 54th minute swung the momentum straight back to the Crusaders, when centre Casey Laulala fielded a midfield bomb set off by Tim Bateman.
In what was initially a nothing kick, Laulala challenged Lachlan Turner in the air and won the aerial battle with ease before spinning away from would-be tacklers and sprinting 35 metres to score in the corner.
Carter added a superb conversion from the touchline and the Crusaders were back in front with a six-point lead.
The home side switched up a gear once they hit the lead, with the forwards taking it on themselves to edge their way towards the Waratahs line through the pick-and-drive.
With the match in the balance, big number eight Mose Tuiali'i burrowed over in the 17th phase of predominantly forward-controlled attack, and when Wyatt Crockett scored next to the posts in the 72nd minute, the match was out of the Waratahs reach at 27-7.
The Waratahs never gave up though, and came within a metre of scoring, however a great counter by the Crusaders allowed them the field position to push for a bonus point.
In the shadows of full-time, Brad Thorn tapped down a clever cross-field kick by Carter into the arms of Scott Hamilton who touched down near the posts for the bonus point.
Carter finished off proceedings by nailing his fourth successful conversion of the match, maintaining his 100 per cent kicking record and adding to his personal haul of 14 points for his team.
