The Crusaders scored seven tries in their 45-28 hammering of the Stormers in Christchurch on Saturday. JON CARDINELLI reports.
Different year, same result. The Crusaders cut the Stormers defence to shreds in the 2017 fixture, racking up 57 points and eight tries. Eleven months later, and the Cantabrians punished a poorly organised Stormers outfit in much the same manner.
The Stormers failed to secure the ball at the set pieces, and failed to make their tackles. A poor lineout cost them at the death of the recent clash against the Waratahs in Sydney, and it was again the root of their problems during the early stages of the match in Christchurch.
That said, the visitors never showed enough fight at the contact point in the first half. Their alignment on defence was shocking, and the Crusaders made them pay for their mistakes.
The reigning champions raced to a 26-0 lead inside the first 20 minutes. Their work at the collisions and breakdowns during this period was outstanding. The timing of the passes, and indeed the quality of the support play, put the Stormers under all sorts of pressure.
There were times when the Crusaders defenders appeared to be offside. That cannot, however, be used as an excuse for another defeat to the tournament’s leading side. The Stormers did themselves no favours with their own efforts on defence.
George Bridge touched down for his second try on the stroke of half-time to boost his side into a 31-7 lead. And at that point, the Crusaders appeared to be on course for 50 points or more.
The Stormers hit back during the early stages of the second stanza. Perhaps the Crusaders were guilty of taking their foot off the pedal after a commanding first-half peformance. Whatever the case, the visitors started to build some momentum as the final quarter approached.
Wilco Louw and JD Schickerling crashed over after the Stormers opted to keep the ball a lot closer to the forwards. SP Marais’s cool-goalkicking reduced the deficit to 10 points.
It didn’t take long for the Crusaders to regain control, though. On the back of two powerful set pieces, the hosts struck through winger Seta Tamanivalu. Richie Mo’unga’s solo effort in the 69th minute appeared to secure the bonus point for the hosts.
Steven Kitshoff scored late in the game to reduce the deficit. The visitors had the chance to score a fifth try at the death and deny the Crusaders a bonus point. The hosts were good enough to repel that final surge, though, and to claim a 17-point win.
The Stormers have lost two from two on their present tour. Robbie Fleck’s charges will be hard-pressed to beat the Highlanders in Dunedin next week and finish their Australasian sojourn on a high.
Crusaders – Tries: George Bridge (2), Codie Taylor. Billy Harmon, Bryn Hall, Seta Tamanivalu, Richie Mo’unga. Conversions: Mo’unga (5).
Stormers – Tries: JC Janse van Rensburg, Wilco Louw, JD Schickerling, Steven Kitshoff. Conversions: SP Marais (4).
Crusaders – 15 David Havili, 14 Seta Tamanivalu, 13 Jack Goodhue, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 George Bridge, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Bryn Hall, 8 Jordan Taufua, 7 Billy Harmon, 6 Peter Samu, 5 Samuel Whitelock (c), 4 Scott Barrett, 3 Michael Alaalatoa, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Wyatt Crockett.
Subs: 16 Andrew Makalio, 17 Chris King, 18 Oliver Jager, 19 Luke Romano, 20 Heiden Bedwell-Curtis, 21 Mitchell Drummond, 22 Mitchell Hunt, 23 Manasa Mataele.
Stormers –15 SP Marais, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 EW Viljoen, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Raymond Rhule, 10 Dillyn Leyds, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Cobus Wiese, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 4 JD Schickerling, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Ramone Samuels, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg.
Subs: 16 Dean Muir, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Carlu Sadie, 19 Jan de Klerk, 20 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 21 Kobus van Dyk, 22 Justin Phillips, 23 George Whitehead.
Photo: Martin Hunter/Getty Images
