07 July 2012 Back to Latest News

In a much anticipated match, the table leading Chiefs fell to the seven time Super Rugby champions Crusaders 28-21 in front of a sell-out crowd at Waikato Stadium.

By Anthony Momoemausu 

In a much anticipated match, the table leading Chiefs fell to the seven time Super Rugby champions Crusaders 28-21 in front of a sell-out crowd at Waikato Stadium.

The atmosphere could almost be mistaken for a test match as the Chiefs came within inches of snatching a draw in the final moments.

Chiefs first five Aaron Cruden had the crowd roaring early when he regathered a chip kick to put the heat on the Crusaders defence. 

A penalty against the Crusaders for offside provided Cruden with a shot to post first points as he made no mistake kicking his side 3-0 ahead.

All Black and Crusaders five-eighth Dan Carter drew the scores level with his own penalty before number 8 Kieran Read surged through to score on the back of a lovely pass from Israel Dagg.

Cruden managed to bridge the gap with a penalty before Carter restored the lead with a drop goal, much to the displeasure of the Waikato fans.

The visitors were able to extend their lead after a fortuitous kick by halfback Andy Ellis was pounced on by Luke Romano and with Carter's conversion to give the Crusaders a 20-6 lead with a quarter of the match gone.

Fan favourite Sonny Bill Williams was able to ignite the Chiefs attack with a run down the sideline and give the home side some much needed possession.

Phases later, a brilliant pop pass by Tawera Kerr-Barlow put lock Brodie Retallick through a gap as he stretched to score and reduce the margin.

The competition leaders looked set to score once more when Chiefs prop Sona Taumalolo found himself in acres of space racing towards the try line before kicking ahead. An untidy regather by Dagg allowed winger Asaeli Tikoirotuma an opportunity for a try as the ball crossed the dead ball line.

With possession and territory evening out, Cruden's third penalty edged the Chiefs closer. Carter's penalty sailed wide and was the final act in the first half as the Crusaders held a 20-16 halftime lead.

Line outs appeared to trouble the hosts giving the Crusaders field position to launch an attack in the opening stages of the second half.

Ellis made the Chiefs pay with the Crusaders third try of the evening although rather comtroversially. His sniping run from the breakdown saw him short off the line but the extra assistance from Sam Whitelock pushed him over as TMO Bryce Lawrence awarded the five-pointer.

Waikato Stadium erupted when Williams showed brout strength minutes later, busting out of several Crusaders tackles to crash over for the table toppers second try.

Another Carter penalty provided little relief on the scoreboard for the Crusaders but a wayward pass from Zac Guildford gifted the Chiefs with a prime chance to draw level.

The Chiefs came close when Andrew Horrell made the initial break before offloading for Tikoirotuma to go within inches of scoring an all important try that could have brought the scores even with roughly 15 minutes remaining.

In a tense finish, the Chiefs had one final shot as they camped deep inside the Crusaders 22. Eventually, it was the Crusaders defence that held firm to deny the home side as referee Steve Walsh called an end to the fixture with the visitors clinching a 28-21 win.

Afterwards captain Liam Messam believed tonight's effort against the Crusaders would be better for the long run especially for the younger members of the side.

"It was pretty intense, both teams just flung into things. We're going to learn from that pressure the Crusaders out on us.

"We know that's probably not our best performance and there's a lot more in us." Messam said.

Coach Dave Rennie echoed his captain's thoughts and they were still in the match but felt there were a few things the side would need to work on heading into the playoffs.

"There's a bit of work to be done there, as Liam says you learn from those. In the end, I guess we got to look at the fact that we played a lot of the game without the ball and still were competitive on the scoreboard."

Meanwhile, fullback Robbie Robinson acknowledged the crowd support playing in front of a full house at Waikato Stadium but were unfortunately they could not achieve the desired result.

"It's pretty crazy running out to that. It's pretty loud, it's real loud actually...It's good."  Click here to view photos by Sportpix

The Chiefs will now head to Wellington to face the Hurricanes next Friday in a crucial match up that could impact the playoff standings for both sides. Kickoff for the match will be at 7.35pm

For further information head to www.chiefs.co.nz or on Facebook otherwise follow @ChiefsRugby for more details.

Score Summary

Chiefs: 21 (Retallick, Williams tries; Cruden 3 pen, con)

Crusaders: 28 (Read, Romano Ellis tries; Carter 2 pen, 2 con, drop goal)

As it Happened.

Minute.      Match Detail.            Score. 

1.               Cruden Pen.             3-0

6.               Carter Pen.               3-3

9.               Read Try.                  3-8

10.             Carter Con.               3-10

16.             Cruden Pen.             6-10

17.             Carter Drop Goal.     6-13

20.             Romano Try.             6-18

21.             Carter Con.               6-20

29.             Retallick Try.             11-20

30.             Cruden Con.             13-20

35.             Cruden Pen.              16-20

Halftime

51.             Ellis Try.                     16-25

55.             Williams Try.               21-25

61.             Carter Pen.                 21-28

Full time