Crusaders lose 4th consecutive match for worst-ever start to a Super Rugby season
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AP) — The Crusaders’ start to the Super Rugby Pacific season went from poor to unprecedentedly bad with their fourth straight loss, a 14-10 home defeat by the Wellington-based Hurricanes on Friday.
The 11-time champions hadn’t lost three matches in a row at the start of season since 1996 before they lost to the Fijian Drua last weekend.
They had never previously lost four matches in succession, and there'll be little respite for the Christchurch-based franchise aganist the Auckland-based Blues next weekend.
“We’re trying really hard but it’s just not sticking,” Crusaders stand-in captain David Havili said. “We gave ourselves a chance in the contest tonight but we couldn’t quite finish it off."
The Crusaders, who have been champions in the last seven seasons, produced their best performance so far in their first home match of the year.
They were outplayed all over the park by the Hurricanes, who won every statistic. But after trailing 7-0 at halftime, the Crusaders rallied to lead 10-7 with 10 minutes remaining, only to see the match snatched away by the Hurricanes with a 79th-minute try.
The Hurricanes posted their fourth straight win, their best start for seven years, and stay atop the table.
They should have won much more easily than they did. A 14th-minute try to Tyrel Lomax looked likely to be the first of many tries for the Hurricanes, who dominated possession and time in the opposition 22.
But they were held out sometimes by poor option-taking or execution, or mostly by tenacious Crusaders defense. The Hurricanes attacked relentlessly but struggled to break down the Crusaders’ line.
The match was played in wet conditions and was ugly at times with too-flat defenses stifling attacking play.
The Crusaders didn’t put together a coherent attack until the 52nd minute and scored a minute later through lock Cullen Grace. They then went ahead against the run of play with a Riley Hohepa penalty.
Hohepa, who played briefly for the Hurricanes, is the third flyhalf the Crusaders have used in four matches this season. The Crusaders also were without regular captain Scott Barrett, who is sidelined for four weeks with a broken finger.
The Crusaders ended with 13 players on the field after two yellow cards.
The Crusaders are marginally in front of last-place Western Force, which is also on a four-match losing streak following a 22-14 home defeat to Moana Pasifika.
The Queensland Reds, meanwhile, moved into second spot in the standings with a thumping 53-26 win over the Rebels in Melbourne. The Reds were coming off an upset win over the Chiefs and scored five first-half tries to lead 33-7 at the break.
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