Crusaders come unstuck
The Highlanders finished their season with a flourish as they shocked table-topping Crusaders 26-14 on Saturday.
Last Updated: 17/05/08 11:00am
The Highlanders finished their season with a flourish as they shocked table-topping Crusaders 26-14 on Saturday.
The Crusaders went into the final fixture of the regular season, having already secured a home draw in the play-off semi-finals and ensured they would finish top of the table.
However they will have been left disappointed by the manner of which they lost ahead of the last-four showdown - with the Highlanders out-scoring them three tries to one.
And especially worrying for the Canterbury franchise will be the loss of form of both Richie McCaw and Dan Carter.
Carter's miss-hit cross-field kick led to the opening try of the match, with full-back Paul Williams taking the catch and crossing after seven minutes.
Toy Morland and and Adam Thomson also crossed for the Highlanders in the first half, with Mike Delany converting one and adding two penalties to give the Otago club a 23-14 half-time lead.
Delany then sealed the win with his third penalty of the match in a second half when defences were on top.
For the Crusaders, Corey Flynn had scored the opening try of the match for a textbook catch and drive from a lineout while Carter was on target with three penalties.
"We watched the (Queensland) Reds game last week and learned from what they did to them, put pressure on the tight five," Otago captain Craig Newby said.
"That put their loose forwards under pressure and put them on the back foot. We tried to disrupt them and really hook into them and I guess it paid off."
