Crusaders outmuscle Reds to reach Super Rugby semis
The Canterbury Crusaders kept intact their perfect home playoff record with a comfortable 32-12 victory over the Queensland Reds at a rain-soaked Christchurch Stadium on Friday to move into the Super Rugby Pacific semi-finals.
The 12-times champions battered the Reds physically in all areas of the game and scored five tries through Scott Barrett, Tamaiti Williams, Noah Hotham, Rivez Reihana and Kyle Preston to take their home playoff record to 30-0.
The Reds never got their expansive attack going in the face of the home side's physicality and line speed and tries from Josh Nasser and Fraser McReight against a shorthanded defence in the last 10 minutes were mere consolations.
All Blacks captain Barrett opened the scoring in the 17th minute when he knocked the ball out of McReight's hands at a Reds lineout on their own tryline and pounced to score.
The visitors were being more frequently penalised and after scrumhalf Tate McDermott was pinged for an attempted jackal closing on the half hour mark, the Crusaders kicked for touch and set up a rolling maul.
The Reds stopped the maul but the Crusaders forwards peeled off left with prop Williams burrowing over the line from close range for a converted try that gave his team a 12-0 lead.
The Crusaders laid siege to the Reds line and although the Australians kept them out, the repeated tackles were bound to have an impact later in the game.
The next score came in the 56th minute through a fine individual try from scrumhalf Hotham, who kicked the ball ahead out of a tackle and raced 30 metres to gather it and touch down.
Flyhalf Rivez Reihana added the extras, kicked a 40-metre penalty to stretch the lead to 22-0 on the hour mark before adding the fourth try from close range.
"I think the way our forwards stepped up was huge, and the set piece went really well so we're really happy with that," said Crusaders captain David Havili.
Crusaders flanker Ethan Blackadder marred an otherwise brilliant performance with a yellow card for a high tackle 11 minutes from time, allowing the Reds to take advantage of the extra man and score twice.
"You've got to give credit to the Crusaders," said Reds co-captain McDermott. "They were all over us at the breakdown and the collision area, and we just couldn't get into our cycle."
The other three semi-finals spots will be decided on Saturday when the top-seeded Waikato Chiefs take on the reigning champion Auckland Blues and the ACT Brumbies host the Wellington Hurricanes.
The losing team from the three matches with the highest finish in the regular season standings also progress to the last four. REUTERS
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