Crusaders back on the march
Canterbury Crusaders notched up a much-needed 17-14 away win over the Waratahs.
Last Updated: 23/03/09 11:14am
Much has changed since the Crusaders beat the Waratahs in last year's final, but it did little to alter the outcome of Saturday's Super 14 clash between the teams.
The defending champions scored a morale-boosting 17-14 away win in Sydney to condemn the Waratahs to their second consecutive defeat.
In contrast to last year, the Waratahs have been amongst the pace-setters in the early stages of the tournament.
But the Crusaders, four games without a win and in danger of dropping out of the title race before the halfway mark, finally found some form to grind out a deserved to win
Tries either side of half-time from skipper Kieran Read and full-back Leon MacDonald were enough to keep the Crusaders in contention for a play-off spot.
The match began slowly with the Crusaders, lacking confidence, reluctant to adopt the adventurous style that made them the most feared counter attacking unit in Super Rugby.
Pressure
Once again the Waratahs scrum was the strong point of their game, but serious questions need to be asked about the quality of distribution in midfield.
Kurtley Beale has been under fire lately and his performance on Saturday will do nothing to alleviate pressure on the fly-half.
Crusaders skipper Read broke the deadlock on 24 minutes after latching onto a long pass out wide from scrum-half Andy Ellis.
Read sauntered over unopposed for the opening score and Stephen Brett's conversion made it 7-0.
The Waratahs spurned a golden opportunity to level the scores soon after when Rob Horne dropped the ball with the try-line at his mercy
The Waratahs levelled the scores early in the second half courtesy of prop Benn Robinson before Colin Slade slotted a 35m metre penalty to restore the Crusaders' lead.
Brilliant
The Crusaders effectively took the game away from the hosts with a move that began from a turnover deep inside their own 22, MacDonald eventually running clear to touch down under the posts.
Beale reduced the gap with a penalty before the home side butchered another opportunity to score from a brilliant break by Lote Tuqiri.
Beale kicked another penalty after Brad Thorn was pinged for a shoulder charge to make the score 13-17, setting up a nail-biting finish.
With the Waratahs needing a try to win, it was the Crusaders who plied the late pressure and only some driving defensive rucking from the home side kept the scoreline intact.
The win on the road will be massive confidence booster for Todd Blackadder's team while the Waratahs' one dimensional gameplan and too many unforced errors will need some attention if they hope to make another Final.
