As it happened: Super Rugby - Crusaders vs Waratahs

 

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Thanks for joining us for this thrilling game. If you have any energy left, you might want to stick around for our coverage of the Highlanders vs Lions clash, starting 7:30pm.

80th minute: Crusaders 31 Waratahs 29
Mounga clears, but the Waratahs run it back. The siren goes and the Crusaders turn the ball over.

They've come back from 29-0 down to win and keep the winning streak alive. Phew!

78th minute: Crusaders 31 Waratahs 29
Waratahs are attacking, one side of the field to the other, but the Crusaders are making tackles. At the breakdown, there's a tiny knock-on, instigated by Todd, to end the movement.

76th minute: Crusaders 31 Waratahs 29
Waratahs are trying to put an attack together and Beale is taken without the ball. Foley points to the posts from 45 metres - this would give his team the lead again.

It's wide!

73rd minute: Crusaders 31Waratahs 29
Ennor is unsure under a high ball and knocks on, giving the Waratahs an attacking opportunity.

68th minute: Crusaders 31Waratahs 29
TRY to Crusaders! Waratahs just can't keep their scrum up and are repeatedly penalised on their line.

Finally O'Keefe's patience ends and he wards a penalty try to give the Crusaders the lead.

64th minute: Crusaders 24 Waratahs 29
Naiyaravoro returns for the Waratahs.

Crusaders are laying seige on the try-line, but when Mounga crosses, O'Keefe rules he was held up. Video evidence can't disprove that call.

The Crusaders had already returned to halfway for the kick-off and must gather again for an attacking scrum.

62nd minute: Crusaders 24 Waratahs 29
Taufua makes a break and finds replacement halfback Mitchell Drummond in support.

Ennor gets another crack at the line, but the move breaks down and Crusaders have an attacking scrum.

61st minute: Crusaders 24 Waratahs 29
Waratahs earn a penalty from a collapsed scrum, but Foley misses a kick at goal from midfield - that could bite them.

57th minute: Crusaders 24 Waratahs 29
TRY to Crusaders! From the scrum, the ball goes left and Ennor is over in the corner. Mounga misses the sideline conversion.

55th minute: Crusaders 19 Waratahs 29
Mataele is over after along pass from Hall, but it's ruled forward.

Instead, O'Keefe takes them back under the posts for a penalty and a scrum.

53rd minute: Crusaders 19 Waratahs 29
Naiyaravoro is sent to the bin for a deliberate knockdown, as the Crusaders mount another attack.

51st minute: Crusaders 19 Waratahs 29
From another attacking lineout, the Crusaders surge towards the line, but Moody knocks on. He is promptly replaced by Wyatt Crockett.

Ennor replaces Bateman and the Crusaders backline shuffles, with Tamanivalu coming into the centres.

50th minute: Crusaders 19 Waratahs 29
Crusaders win an attacking lineout and draw another penalty - their third in quick succession.

48th minute: Crusaders 19 Waratahs 29
Crusaders have a scrum on halfway, but when they spin the ball, it falls loose and Naiyaravoro is away. He's called back for a penalty at the scrum.

Phipps is back.

43rd minute: Crusaders 19 Waratahs 29
Taylor and Taufua combine in the shadow of the posts, but the final pass for Samu to score is forward.

41st minute: Crusaders 19 Waratahs 29
So the Crusaders are still a man up, with Phipps in the sin bin for another seven minutes.

Extra time: Crusaders 19 Waratahs 29
TRY to Crusaders! From the attacking scrum, Mounga flings the ball wide and Tamanivalu barges over in the right corner. Mounga converts from the sideline.

Phew! We all need a break after that action-packed 40 minutes.

40th minute: Crusaders 12 Waratahs 29
The half-time siren has gone, as Goodhue makes a break to put the Crusaders on attack. From a penalty, Mounga kicks to the corner and Todd is just short from the lineout.

O'Keefe gives the whistle a double blast and Phipps is sent to the sin bin.

38th minute: Crusaders 12 Waratahs 29
TRY to Crusaders! From an attacking lineout, the forwards rumble to the line, with Codie Taylor in the driver's seat and the try. Mounga misses the conversion, but they're taking some momentum into the break.

37th minute: Crusaders 7 Waratahs 29
Mataele puts a kick ahead and chases to put Crusaders hot on attack. When the Waratahs are penalised at the breakdown, Moody is left on the ground.

35th minute: Crusaders 7 Waratahs 29
TRY to Crusaders! Another penalty and another kick to the corner from the Crusaders.

The Waratahs defence is resolute, but Bridge makes the incision, Mounga runs to the line and finds Moody, who scores. Mounga scores.

33rd minute: Crusaders 0 Waratahs 29
Waratahs are penalised for a player off his feat at the maul - it's Hooper - and the Crusaders kick to the corner.

28th minute: Crusaders 0 Waratahs 29
TRY to Waratahs! From a lineout, Foley puts the ball in the air, Folau gathers on the far wing and when the ball goes lose, Rona is there to collect and score.

Who would have thought the Crusaders would be the team to let the winning streak slip?

Foley converts. 

25th minute: Crusaders 0 Waratahs 22
TRY to Waratahs! Folau takes a clearing kick on the full and makes 30 metres, before passing infield to Beale, who then returns the favour for Folau to score. Foley converts.

21st minute: Crusaders 0 Waratahs 15
Another Crusaders opportunity goes astray, as Mounga fails to find Bridge entering the backline on an angle.

17th minute: Crusaders 0 Waratahs 15
TRY to Waratahs! They fail to find touch from a penalty and the Crusaders begin a counterattack, but a long pass from Bateman towards Temanivalu on the wing is intercepted by Naiyaravoro with an open line ahead of him. Foley converts.

14th minute: Crusaders 0 Waratahs 8
Crusaders are again inaccurate as they mount another attack inside the 22 - Todd can't gather a pass thrown too far in front of him as defenders loom.

11th minute: Crusaders 0 Waratahs 8
Moody is penalised in midfield, when he rolls out on the wrong side of a maul and Foley lines up the 42m kick at goal - it's over.

10th minute: Crusaders 0 Waratahs 5
Crusaders have another attacking opportunity and an overlap, but the pass from Samu is at Mataele's feet and he can't gather. Waratahs hooker Fitzpatrick is leaving the field for an HIA.

Eighth minute: Crusaders 0 Waratahs 5
Crusaders have an attacking scrum, but Hall gets ahead of himself and fumbles the ball at the back.

Fifth minute: Crusaders 0 Waratahs 5
TRY to Waratahs! Cam Clark is on the end of the backline, after a turnover in Crusdaers territory. Foley misses the conversion from wide out.

Third minute: Crusaders 0 Waratahs 0
Crusaders have been on attack, with Barrett charging down an attempted Phipps clearance. Waratahs eventually find touch about 30 metres out from their line.

First minute: Crusaders 0 Waratahs 0
From the kick-off, Folau is penalised for challenging Goodhue in mid-air and the Crusaders have an attacking lineout from the touchfinder.

Pre-match
One of the key match-ups for me will be Todd vs Hooper off the side of the scrum. Both are international performers and an edge at the breakdown is always a great headstart to victory.

Conditions are overcast and a little nippy in the south. Waratahs will kick off.

Ben O'Keefe will referee tonight.

*******

Kia ora, good evening…

Welcome to our live updates of the Crusaders' home game against the visiting Waratahs.

Victory here would put the defending Super Rugby champions back on top of the New Zealand conference and overall standings, after they were hurdled by the Hurricanes at Eden Park on Friday night.

The Cantabs are coming off a scintillating second half of rugby against the Melbourne Rebels last week, when they erupted for six converted tries and 42 points in a 55-10 victory.

They've made five changes from the line-up that started against the Rebels, with All Blacks Joe Moody and Codie Taylor shoring up the front row, but fellow internationals Owen Franks, Ryan Crotty and David Havili being rested.

Crusaders welcome All Blacks prop Joe Moody back from injury

By contrast, the Waratahs suffered a devastating 24-21 loss to the Blues last week, extending the Australian losing streak to New Zealand teams to 38 games.

As the top-ranked Aussie outfit playing against the bottom-placed NZ side, that was a prime opportunity to end that dismal record - but they couldn't do it.

They've also had to deal with off-field controversy in recent weeks, with Israel Folau's social-media indiscretions and Nick Phipp's stag-night misbehaviour capturing headlines.

The Waratahs have made only two changes to that starting line-up, with Phipps reclaiming the No.9 jersey and Curtis Rona replacing Lalakai Foketi at centre.

Crusaders: 1-Joe Moody, 2-Codie Taylor, 3-Michael Alaalatoa, 4-Scott Barrett, 5-Sam Whitelock, 6-Pete Samu, 7-Matt Todd, 8-Jordan Taufua, 9-Bryn Hall, 10-Richie Mo'unga, 11-Manasa Mataele, 12-Tim Bateman, 13-Jack Goodhue, 14-Seta Tamanivalu, 15-George Bridge

Reserves: 16-Andrew Makalio, 17-Wyatt Crockett, 18-Donald Brighouse, 19-Mitchell Dunshea, 20-Heiden Bedwell-Curtis, 21-Mitchell Drummond, 22-Mitch Hunt, 23-Braydon Ennor

Waratahs: 1-Tom Robertson, 2-Damien Fitzpatrick, 3-Sekope Kepu, 4-Ned Hanigan, 5-Rob Simmons, 6-Will Miller, 7-Michael Hooper, 8-Michael Wells, 9-Nick Phipps, 10-Bernard Foley, 11-Taqele Naiyaravoro, 12-Kurtley Beale, 13-Curtis Rona, 14-Cam Clark, 15-Israel Folau

Reserves: 16-Hugh Roach, 17-Harry Johnson-Holmes, 18-Shambeckler Vui, 19-Tom Staniforth, 20-Jed Holloway, 21-Jake Gordon, 22-Lalakai Foketi, 23-Bryce Hegarty  

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