Sky Super Rugby Aotearoa – Bosses left to lament major TMO mistake as Crusaders run rampant

Crusaders 39
Heads 17

Defeating the Crusaders in Christchurch is difficult at best, almost impossible when bad umpires give the defending champions a huge advantage.

The Chiefs will endure the ignominy associated with matching New Zealand’s worst losing streak in Super Rugby, matching the Highlanders’ 11 losses in a row during their 2012-13 season.

While the Chiefs were amply beaten in the end, they have every right to feel aggrieved after they were left with one less man and conceded a second-half penalty attempt that should never have been kept.

With Richie Mo’unga expertly handling the cutter, the Crusaders extended their dominance at the top of the Super Rugby Aotearoa standings with their third straight win this season.

His acclaimed scrum took the Chiefs’ lives in the second half – Joe Moody, a dominant force there after coming off the bench.

Four attempts in the second half made the Crusaders very clear and they were clearly the superior team.

But the Chiefs should get an apology from officials this week after a major mistake cost them dearly.

In the 44th minute, with the Crusaders leading by one in a competitive contest after Leicester Fainga’anuku claimed an earlier controversial try, officials killed a decision that resulted in a yellow card for Brad Weber and a penalty try.

Mo’unga, after one of his many classy breaks, threw a clear forward pass. At first, it appeared that Weber deflected Mo’unga’s pass, but footage revealed that the Chiefs running back hit Mo’unga’s arm, not the ball.

Sam Cane used his captain’s defiance to question the decision, but TMO Paul Williams did not look from all angles, leaving Weber to be trashed for making an offside tackle later in the move, and the Crusaders accumulated seven points. which pushed them to lead 18-10.

From there, the crusaders ran rampant.

Scott Robertson’s men were denied a Mitchell Drummond try following a forward pass from Sevu Reece, but Will Jordan marked his first start to the season by scoring from an inside ball by Mo’unga without looking. Whetukamokamo Douglas and Mitchell Dunshea finished the job claiming rewards for the hard work of their forwards.

Maintaining their undefeated mantle and racking up another bonus point, the Crusaders organized a highly anticipated trip to Eden Park next week, while the Chiefs will attempt to break their run of terror against the Hurricanes, who also haven’t won after two games this season.

The Chiefs, as they did last week before capitulating at home against the Highlanders, got off to a good start with Damian McKenzie igniting the fight in the opening minutes. After receiving a long pass, the All Blacks utility leapt out of Leicester Fainga’anuku to stretch out and claim the first try. McKenzie’s penalty shortly after gave the Chiefs a surprise 10-0 lead.

The Crusaders, by contrast, began on a cutting note. They lost All Blacks loose forward Cullen Grace to a rib injury before kickoff, and Douglas replaced him at the back of the scrum, but he lacked his usual cohesion early on.

David Havili, shifting to the second five-eighths to allow Jordan to start at fullback, fired up the Crusaders with a brilliant midfield bust. Havili pushed Etene Nanai-Seturo and threw a magnificent 20-meter pass to push Fainga’anuku away from the line.

With one spectacular move, McKenzie pushed Fainga’anuku, in mid-flight, past the touchline. The Crusaders winger managed to ground the ball in in-goal with his fingertips and it was ruled that he kept his foot in the air, despite hitting the ground offside.

As is often the case when the Crusaders are at the top, it is almost impossible to stop the attack. Line jumps continued to arrive for the red and black machine and with referee James Doleman handing out eight consecutive penalties against the Chiefs, the visitors soon put themselves at a disadvantage.

Discipline hurt the Chiefs throughout, ending up on the wrong side of a 15-10 penalty count.

The Crusaders returned to their set pieces strengths (their scrum winning penalties and Scott Barrett pinching a lineout) to take the lead for the first time after 32 minutes through Mo’unga’s boot, but two turnovers from the impressive All Blacks drop forward Luke Jacobson and lock Tupou Vaa’i kept the Chiefs in contact 11-10 at halftime.

The Chiefs fought valiantly on defense in the second spell, but once they sent Weber to the trash, they never seemed to recover.

Crusaders 39 (Leicester Fainga’anuku, penalty try, Will Jordan, Whetukamokamo Douglas, Mitchell Dunshea try; Richie Mo’unga 2 cons, 2 pens, Fergus Burke with)
Heads 17 (Damian McKenzie, Etene Nanai-Seturo tries; McKenzie 2 cons, pen)
HT: 11-10