Chiefs 24 Crusaders 31
Well that was as good a game as I have watched in 2017 - Two high quality sides that could very well be there for the last game of the season...The difference? two words...Richie Mo'unga...a coming of age performance from the young pivot..and he kicked briliantly both in general play and his goal kicking. Cruden was very good but his goal kicking ultimately cost the Chiefs the goods. Will have some video highlights up for you in 10 mins or so. Thanks everyone.
Full Time: Hika Elliot fluffs the lineout again and the Crusaders have escaped with the win. What a game of rugby!
79mins: Whitelock nicks the lineout throw and the Crusaders will look to wind the clock down....Wait! Penalty Chiefs and another lineout for the Chiefs here with time up.....5m out.
78mins: Chiefs throwing everything at the Crusaders...Nanai-Williams is taken in a high-tackle by Bidwell-Curtis and the Chiefs have a lineout 20m out.
77mins: PENALTY GOAL CRUSADERS: Mo'unga nails it from 40m..great kick and he has been the difference between the two sides tonight.
75mins: Chiefs trying to play around with ball inside theor own half - McKenzie is penalised for holding on in the tackle and Mo'unga will look to extend the gap to 7.
72mins: TRY CHIEFS - Aaron Cruden - Cruden explodes into the gap - nice set scrum play from the Chiefs - ball was in and out in a flash..Messam to Cruden - Try Chiefs..Game on!!...McKenzie adds the two, Cruden given the hook from kicking maybe 1 kick too late.
71mins: Crusaders turn the ball over inside their 22 - Chiefs on attack, Kerr-Barlow looks to have knocked the ball on - but nope it was a Crusaders hand - Wyatt Crockett I think - Scrum Chiefs 5m out.
68mins: PENALTY GOAL CRUSADERS - What's the old addage - pick your goal kicker first? - Mo'unga makes no mistake with the penalty and the Crusaders are pulling away..Cruden has kicked poorly tonight.
67mins: Stevenson is called offside in the midfield and Mo'unga will have a handy shot at three here to put the Crusaders 11-points up with 12 to go.
65mins: Havilli's attepmt is wide - Chiefs have a 22 drop out. Cruden tries something fancy but it doesn't work and he knocks the ball on - Scrum Crusaders 25m out.
64mins: Scrum penalty fro the Crusaders - Looks like Havilli will have a shot from 55m out - hige attepmt this but weird decision to go for three.
59mins: TRY CRUSADERS - Ben Funnell - Mo'unga with another break - he is an extreme talent - Mo'unga puts Mataele clear but Retallick of all people pulls him down...Funnell crashes over in the corner from the resulting ruck. Mo'unga adds the two from the sideline and the Crusaders will be tough to reel in from here. Sensational play from Mo'unga.
56mins: Poor attempt from Cruden - he has not kicked well tonight - surely McKenzie would be a better option? Crusaders hold on to their 1-point lead. Also apologies - have just noticed I had the Chiefs score at 15 - they have 17. My bad!!
55mins: Chiefs earn a penalty - Quinten Strange gets in the way of a Kerr-Barlow pass from the ruck - good old fashioned lazy running there..Cruden will try and put the Chiefs back in front.
53mins: Crusaders produce a nice exit play - Goodhue with the clearence - Cheifs lineout on the Crusaders 10m line..Stephen Donald has failed a concussuion test for the Chiefs and Jordan Taufua is off with a leg injury for the Crusaders.
52mins: Sam Cane knocks the ball on in the midfield - Crusaders have a scrum 5m out from theor own line.
51mins: Chiefs hold the ball well for 7 phases - Retallick with a couple nice runs...eventually the ball is turned over by the Crusaders - Mo'unga hoofs it upfield but McKenzie fires right back and Mataele gets a touch on it as it floats out - Lineout Chiefs 10m out.
47mins: TRY CRUSADERS - David Havilli - Try of the season. Okay so where do I start - the Chiefs with possesion and Cruden with a lovey little pop kick that McKenzie looks certain to grab but Mo'unga appears from nowhere - he flicks the ball out to Goodhue who frees up Tamanivalu - the Fijian local boy runs 20m - ball back inside to Goodhue who puts Havilli away into the corner - that was magnificent. Mo'unga can't add the two.
44mins: Good spell of possesion here for the Crusaders - Tamanivalu breaks free again but for not for the first time tonight he is tackled into touch - this time by McKenzie - Lineout Chiefs again - this time on their 10m line.
42mins: Crusaders working the ball out well - they get through six phases and Mo'unga with a Barrett special - nice cross kick that Tamanivalu collects but he's taken over the line by Lowe and the Chiefs have a lineout on halfway.
Second Half: Welcome back - What a tremendous first half - Just a quick note, Ryan Crotty also failed his concussion test so he won't be back - Cruden gets us back underway.
We are also Live Updating the Warriors clash with the Dragons in Hamilton - you can follow my main man Ben who is all over the action as we speak..click here
Added Time: Crusaders elect to take a scrum but Bryn Hall kicks the ball as he places it in the scrum - Referee says free kick Chiefs and Cruden bangs it into touch and that's halftime. What a great half of rugby - both sides throwing it around. Be back in 10mins.
39mins: We had about 5 scrum resets - eventually referee Fraser is happy but the Crusaders kick te ball out on the full and the Chiefs havean attacking lineout - the Crusaders win the ball through Whitelock and they break out..Samu with a barnstorming run and he gets the ball away to Bridge who would have scored if not for an ankle tap from ALB. The Crusaders are playing with an advantage here as Cruden is called offside. Phew!!
35mins: Chiefs working some nice phase play - Lienart-Brown makes a mini-break and gets the ball out to Kerr-Barlow who chips ahead but the ball floats out. Crusaders lineout on their 5m line. Chiefs penalised from the resulting lineout and the Mo'unga with another huge touch finder --lineout Crusaders on the Chiefs 22.
33mins: Crusaders can't get theor lineout drive going so Hall clears the ball - a few phases later and the Chiefs earn a penalty - Romano penalised for holding on at the tackle. Chiefs have a lineout on halfway.
32mins: Crusaders regain the ball from the restart - Bryn Hall with a well placed box kick that Nanai-Williams can't handle and the ball floats in to touch - Crusaders lineout 8m out.
29mins: TRY CHIEFS - Kane Hames - McKenzie is carving up the Crusaders at will - another break - this time from halfway - he gets the ball away to Cruden but Havilli brings him down - a few phases later and Kane Hames is claiming a try - we go upstairs with an onfield call of try by Mike Fraser. TMO backs up the referees onfield call and the Chiefs are back in front - awesome game here folks!! - Cruden finally lands one and they lead by 4.
27mins: TRY CRUSADERS - Brilliant!! - Bidwell-Curtis crosses over after Goodhue split open the defence with an insisive run - McKenzie manages to make the tackle but he pops up a lovely pass to put Bidwell-Curtis away under the posts - Ref wants to look at a possible midfield obstruction..hold the phone. Nope the TMO says 'sweet as' and the try is awarded - Mo'unga with the extras and the Crusaders are back in front.
24mins: TRY CHIEFS - Cruden thuds a kick down field which looks awkward for George Bridge - and yep he fluffs it - James Lowe collects the ball, kick ahead and gets the bounce to beat Havilli to the ball and score in the corner. Cruden's kick was genuis - but he can't add the two from the left hand side this time. Chiefs hit the front.
22mins: Mataele trying to make up for his defensive lap runs over Nanai-Williams but Taufua knocks the ball on at the back of the following ruck. Scrum Chiefs just outside theor own 22. - Sam McNicol has failed his concussion test so Donald is in for a long shift tonight.
20mins: TRY CHIEFS - Chiefs attacking nicely - Cruden runs right through were Ryan Crotty would have been defending - Mateele was nowhere..Lienart-Brown was the man to put his No.10 in the gap - Cruden draws Havilli - lob pass out to Nanai-Wiliams who goes over in the corner. Lovely try from the Chiefs. Cruden misses a toughy from the sideline.
18mins: Game been played at pace by both side - i'm struggling to keep up! - Quick lineout from teh Chiefs - toed through by Donald but Havilli cleans it up on the Crusaders 10m line - lineout Chiefs. Ryan Crotty now heading off for a concussion test.
16mins: McKenzie opens up the Crusaders defence on the counter-attack - cut them right open - he gets the ball away to Lowe who is taken by the covering defence of Havilli - and wow! - Chiefs penalised for diving in over the top - Retallick called out by the ref - Crusaders were on the ropes there. Steven Donald on for Sam McNicol who is having a concussion test.
14mins: PENALTY GOAL CRUSADERS: Mo'unga makes no mistake from in front - The Crusaders deserve their six-point lead.
13mins: McKenzie drops the ball in contact and Nanai-Williams picks the ball up in an offside position - another shot here for Mo'unga.
12mins: Another great kick from Mo'unga from just outside his 22 that finds touch inside the Chiefs 22 - Lowe takes it quickly and Nanai-Williams clears to halfway. Lineout Crusaders.
11mins: The Fijian crowd is pretty much cheering for anything cool - so both sides will be appreciated by the full house in Suva tonight.
10mins: PENALTY GOAL CRUSADERS - Mo'unga throw it over from in front - early lead for the table toppers.
9mins: Offside again from the Chiefs - this time Aaron Cruden who was trying to shut down Taminivalu in midfield, Whitelock opts for the three - Mo'unga will have a shot.
7mins: Chiefs turn the ball over after Romano smashed McKenzie with a great tackle - they try and counter-attack and the Chiefs are called offside - Mo'unga launches a missle of a kick that finds touch inside the Chiefs 22.
6mins: Cruaders have a lineout on their own 5m line after a lovely kick from McKenzie - Whitelock pulls it in and Hall with a good touch finder - Lineout on halfway for the Chiefs
4mins: Looks like Pete Samu is playing in the 7 jersey with Heiden Bedwell-Curtis playing on the blindside. In case you missed it, Matt Todd was a late scratching for the Crusaders,
2mins: The Crusaders shift the ball nicely off the back of a little break from Mo'unga - the ball finds it's way out to Tamanivalu he steamrolls over James Lowe..ouch - Mistake from the Crusaders however as they knock on from the next phase...defensive scrum for the Chiefs on there 10m line
Kick Off: Underway on Suva, Richie Mo'unga gets the game underway - the Chiefs look to ruck it out - A James Lowe kick gets charged but McKenzie cleans it up nicely and a few phases later he clears well and the Crusaders have a lineout on halfway.
7.31pm: Late scratching for the Crusaders - Matt Todd is out injured, will find out his replacement for you shortly.
7.26pm: Evening all - welcome to the big game tonight, a tremendous opprtunity for the red-hot Crusaders to put a serious gap between themselves, the Chiefs and the Hurricanes as Super Rugby heads towards the buisness end of the season. Play underway in about 10 mins.
Hello and welcome to live updates of the Chiefs host the Crusaders at ANZ National Stadium in Suva, Fiji.
We bring you live streaming written commentary, video highlights (be sure to refresh your browser) and all the action. VIDEO will be available as soon as the final whistle goes.
Commentary will start from around 7:30pm (NZT)..
Lineups
Chiefs
1. Kane Hames, 2. Nathan Harris, 3. Nepo Laulala, 4. Dominic Bird, 5. Brodie Retallick, 6. Mitchell Brown,7. Sam Cane (cc), 8. Michael Leitch, 9. Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 10. Aaron Cruden (cc), 11. James Lowe, 12. Anton Lienert-Brown, 13. Sam McNicol, 14. Tim Nanai-Williams, 15. Damian McKenzie
Reserves - 16. Hika Elliot, 17. Siegfried Fisi’ihoi, 18. Atu Moli, 19. Taleni Seu, 20. Liam Messam, 21 Jonathan Taumateine, 22. Stephen Donald, 23. Shaun Stevenson
Crusaders
1. Joe Moody, 2. Codie Taylor, 3. Owen Franks, 4. Luke Romano, 5. Sam Whitelock (c), 6. Peter Samu, 7. Matt Todd , 8. Jordan Taufua, 9. Bryn Hall, 10. Richie Mo’unga, 11. George Bridge, 12. Ryan Crotty, 13. Jack Goodhue, 14. Seta Tamanivalu, 15. David Havili
Reserves - 16. Ben Funnell, 17. Wyatt Crockett, 18. Michael Alaalatoa, 19. Quinten Strange, 20. Heiden Bedwell-Curtis, 21. Mitchell Drummond, 22. Mitchell Hunt, 23. Manasa Mataele
Match facts and stats
Referee: Mike Fraser
Assistants: Brendon Pickerill and Paul Williams
TMO: Shane McDermott
The Chiefs have won their last four games against the Crusaders by an average margin of 14 points and have not lost the first meeting between these teams in a season since 2011.
The Chiefs have restricted the Crusaders to fewer than 20 points in each of their last six games when hosting them, winning all but one of those six with only a one-point loss in Round 10, 2014 blemishing that record.
The Chiefs are undefeated against fellow New Zealand opposition this season, netting three wins so far and restricting their opponents to single digits in the opening half of each game.
The Chiefs have won 16 of their last 17 games at home on a Friday night, including each of their last seven, while they haven’t lost at home on a Friday against the Crusaders since Round 17, 2012 (W3 since).
No team moves the ball around the park more than the Crusaders, who’s 161 passes per game are nearly eight more than any other team in the competition.
The Chiefs have conceded a league-low 19 tries this campaign, not conceding more than six in any single quarter; though the Crusaders are one of only two teams in the competition (Hurricanes) to have scored 10 or more tries in every quarter.
David Havili has gained 818m and beaten 44 defenders this season, ranking in second for both categories among all players for this campaign.
Past meetings
Head to head: Played 29, Chiefs 13, Crusaders 16, drawn 0
In Fiji: Played 1, Chiefs 1, Crusaders 0, drawn 0
Chiefs home games: Played 16, Chiefs 8, Crusaders 8, drawn 0
Last time played: Chiefs 23 def Crusaders 13, July 1, 2016
Head-to-head: Chiefs - $2.20 Crusaders- $1.62
Pre-match banter: Race begins for All Blacks assistant coach role after Wayne Smith announces departure
Steve Hansen is sure some quality candidates will "drop from the sky" when he goes searching for a new All Blacks assistant coach.
New Zealand Rugby will advertise immediately for a replacement for Wayne Smith, who announced on Friday he is stepping aside in October, after the Rugby Championship.
Hansen says replacing close friend Smith, the person, rather than the coach, will be the biggest challenge.
However, the All Blacks head coach doesn't intend to shoulder-tap any preferred candidate.
He will help with the formal process in appointing someone to work alongside Smith during the Rugby Championship, effectively bedding them into the All Blacks' methods.
The process will be fascinating, with a host of well-qualified candidates likely to be interested.
From the well-performing New Zealand Super Rugby teams, experienced pair Chris Boyd and John Plumtree have turned around the fortunes of the Hurricanes while Scott Robertson has made an immediate impact this season with the unbeaten Crusaders.
Tana Umaga hasn't enjoyed the same success in two seasons at the Blues.
Tony Brown (Highlanders) and Dave Rennie (Chiefs) are probably out of contention after lining up contracts in Japan and Scotland respectively later this year.
Offshore, several New Zealand coaches have enjoyed degrees of success, most notably Joe Schmidt with Ireland and Vern Cotter with Scotland.
Hansen will keep an open mind when the CVs roll in, taking into account how he believes the candidates will work alongside himself and assistant Ian Foster.
"But you've got to be flexible in your thinking. You don't know what's going to drop out of the sky," Hansen said.
"We've been in the industry long enough to know who's out there and it's a matter of seeing they're available, keen, and then going through the due process."
Smith believes there are a number of capable candidates in Super Rugby who have the opportunity to add something new to what is a golden era for the All Blacks.
The newcomer will inherit Smith's specific defence portfolio but might not take on some of the other aspects the 60-year-old was involved with.
"It will probably be more simplified than what Wayne is doing now," Hansen said.
"While we call Smithy a defence coach, he has had a big responsibility through the whole team.
"Whoever we appoint will spend some time with us, in the Rugby Championship, just having a look over Smith's shoulder, seeing how he's doing, seeing how we operate as a team, so it's not a big overwhelming thing coming in."