Super Rugby: Chiefs 23-13 Crusaders
By Associated Press
Last Updated: 01/07/16 2:28pm
Full-back Damien McKenzie starred as the Chiefs beat the Crusaders 23-13 to reclaim the lead in Super Rugby's New Zealand conference on Friday as the tournament resumed after a four-week break for June tests.
McKenzie kicked two conversions and three penalties and had a major hand in the one of the Chiefs' two tries, both scored before half-time, which paved the way for an upset win. The Hamilton-based Chiefs endured extreme defensive pressure in the early stages of the match before breaking out to lead 17-3 with tries from winger James Lowe and scrum-half Brad Weber.
Local star Jone Macilai scored a try after the half-time siren which threatened a Crusaders' comeback but the Chiefs kept control through the second half on a rain-soaked field.
The only points after half-time came from penalties - two to the Chiefs and one to the Crusaders - though that betrayed the enterprise of both teams who ran the ball whenever possible. McKenzie's last penalty - on the whistle - deprived the Crusaders of a bonus point which might have left them in first place in the conference.
Instead, the Chiefs hold a one-point lead after 15 of 17 regular-season rounds with only the winner of the conference guaranteed home advantage in the first round of the play-offs.
"It's always got to be a big defensive effort against the Crusaders," Chiefs captain Sam Cane said. "They know how to play footy and they attack, they offload, and they've got dangerous ball-carriers.
"So you've got to stay alive, you've got to work hard off the ball, and the majority of the night we did that."
The first-ever Super Rugby match in the Pacific Islands attracted a capacity crowd of 19,000 in the Fiji capital. Heavy rain leading up to the kick-off gave way to a hot, humid evening which taxed both teams.
The Crusaders attacked relentlessly with more than 75 per cent of possession through the opening stages. A turning point came early when the Chiefs heaved the Crusaders' scrum, heavy with All Blacks, off the ball, forcing a critical turnover.
Both teams were trying to re-establish their Super Rugby campaigns after the June Test window and both were also trying to re-integrate All Blacks absent during that period.
The Chiefs had fewer returning players and that may have been in their favor. They counter-attacked effectively whenever the Crusaders made errors in attack.
Their first try came when new All Blacks centre Seta Tamanivalu - also Fiji-born - spotted a gap behind the defensive line and put in a pinpoint kick which was captured by Lowe for the opening try.
McKenzie made an outstanding, weaving break from a short lineout in the 33rd minute which cut open the Crusaders' defense, then linked infield with Weber who scored.
"I don't think we adapted to the conditions as well as what we could have," Crusaders captain Kieran Read said. "We played with the ball a little too much around our own 10-meter line or halfway and the Chiefs were a dangerous side when we turned the ball over."
