Explosive start gets Crusaders home in Super Rugby showdown
The Canterbury Crusaders, fired up to celebrate Andy Ellis's 150th game, produced an explosive start to set up a 29-10 victory over the NSW Waratahs in stormy conditions in Christchurch on Friday. But while satisfied with the win, the Crusaders were left to rue the departure of Zac Guildford to the Waratahs, with the winger scoring a late try against his former teammates to deny the competition leaders a bonus point. With scrum-half Ellis getting a dream ride behind a dominant pack, the Crusaders were able to defy the wind and rain from the kick-off, and with a running game stacked with deft off-loads they were 15-0 up after 15 minutes. The lead was stretched to 22-5 by half-time before the game degenerated in the second spell. "The conditions were pretty tough and the lads came out firing. It was awesome," said captain Kieran Read. "We saw the weather and that wasn't actually our game plan but it worked wonders for us early." It produced a four-tries-to-two win, a confidence-booster following their loss to the Otago Highlanders last week, while ending a four-match winning streak by the Waratahs. Both sides remain at the head of their respective conferences with the Waratahs retaining a one-point margin over the ACT Brumbies who have a bye this week. Johnny McNicholl, Israel Dagg, Richie Mo'unga and Jordan Taufua all scored tries for the Crusaders, while Rob Horne scored in the first half for the Waratahs and Guildford scored late in the second spell. Mo'unga added three conversions and a penalty to take his total for the season to 126, putting him at the top of the competition scoring list ahead of the Wellington Hurricanes' Beauden Barrett with 122. The Crusaders used the kicking skills of Mo'unga and Dagg to pin the Waratahs in their own half from where they were happy to keep the ball in hand and attack the line. Israel Folau, moved to outside centre for the Waratahs, made the most of the few chances he had, which included setting up Horne's try to get the Waratahs on the board.
