By Louis Anderson-Rich
Hello and welcome to Christchurch where the Crusaders will be hosting the Hurricanes in Super Rugby action.
The Crusaders have won the last two fixtures between these teams however has the All Blacks break come at a bad time for them? The Red and Blacks are without lynchpin Dan Carter tonight with Tom Taylor filling his boots. All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw is listed to play at number 8. Meanwhile Hurricanes captain Conrad Smith leads his troops into battle.
Andre Taylor will look to spark things from the back for the men from the Capital.
We’ll bring you video live updates throughout the match, including video highlights of all the big plays and tries.
Make sure you refresh your page occasionally. We’ll add VIDEO COMING SOON when we’re cutting the highlights and VIDEO UP when it’s ready to be viewed.
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LIVE COMMENTARY: Crusaders 22 – 23 Hurricanes
81 Min: It doesn’t have the distance and the Hurricanes win!
80 Min: Crusaders’ scrum is incredible and they’ve won the penalty! Is this in kicking range?...apparently it is for Tyler Blyendaal who will take the kick a little to the left from halfway…
79 Min: Taylor to Guildford out on the left flank…ref rules a collapsed maul for the Hurricanes and that is a big call in their favour!
78 Min: Barrett’s drop out goes deep…Crusaders not really going anywhere as they stay in their own half…
76 Min: Very difficult kick for Tom Taylor out on the left sideline…and he’s missed it…
75 Min: Crusaders with a line out which they win, Wyatt Crockett has puicked up the loose ball! Tackeld but now the ball spins out to the left side with men in numbers...Crusaders on the Hurricanes tryline, and they win a penalty! So Tom Taylor with a chance to reclaim the lead.
73 Min: Barrett puts the Hurricanes into the lead!
72 Min: Eaton wins a good lineout for the Hurricanes at the back and Tusi Pisi has found Hayward who runs through a massive gap! He’s in space but there’s no support! Crusaders pinged for offside though and it’ll be a penalty and a chance to take the lead!
71 Min: Wilson judged to have knocked it on, that’s unfortunate…
70 Min: Crusaders squander a scrum opportunity and Wilson takes the tap quickly, gives it to Barrett who makes some very good ground with his quick…Crusaders defending on their 22…Taylor goes onto the left foot and clears it to Savea who goes on a run and straight past Robbie Fruean! Hurricanes with some good pressure!
69 Min: Hurricanes win a sketchy lineout and Wilson has gathered it and scampers away through the middle but he’s been tackled and McCaw has turned it over brilliantly…
68 Min: Ellis puts up a very high kick for Guildford to chase but Savea gets to it first…Wilson spits it out to Thursh…Hurricanes on halfway…Barrett with a little stab kick through but Maitland is back and he hacks it to safety.
67 Min: Beauden Barrett throws a rather forward pass to Andre Taylor at the back for a clearance but it isn’t called up, Crusaders fans feel hard done by.
66 Min: Barrett bangs the 3 points over and we are in for a high-adrenaline final fifteen minutes.
65 Min: Hurricanes scrum is again pushed back by the Crusaders but Shields gets it away to Wilson…Matt Todd goes in for the turnover but ends up conceding a penalty right out in front for joining the ruck incorrectly.
63 Min: Hurricanes with a kick upfield…and Thrush has regathered this and his pass is very close to being intercepted by Ryan Crotty, but it’s been hacked away again downfield and now the Crusaders under some pressure…and the it pays off for the Canes who win a penalty.
62 Min: Guildford kicks the ball ahead, but it’s gone straight into Brad Shields who falls down…I think he got hit in the you-know-what’s by that kick…nasty.
60 Min: Adam Whitelock bustles his way up to the Canes 22…Crusaders forwards working very hard…but Jack Lam has turned the ball over brilliantly for the Hurricanes.
58 Min: Referee Bryce Lawrence gets in the way of a Levave pass and it means Jack Lam barrels into the back of him…Should have given himself a card for obstruction.
57 Min: Hurricanes with a line out on the Crusaders 22….Motu Matu’u comes on and makes the throw…Crusaders turn the ball over though and Taylor clears it.
55 Min: Lam has offloaded to Wilson who manages to offload to Barrett who has broken through the defence! He’s away with some space! Two Crusaders defenders come at him though and he has no support….Hurricanes concede a penalty. VIDEO UP
54 Min: Short restart from Barrett…Taylor hacks the ball away to Savea…Barrett with a wayward throw to Bateman who manages to rescue the situation…Conrad Smith almost finds his way through a hole…
53 Min: Tom Taylor with a shot at goal…he nails it and furthers the points difference.
52 Min: Crusaders scum again dominates the Canes pack and they win another penalty
50 Min: Wilson does well to tie up McCaw off the back of the scrum…Crusaders look to get some running ball happening…Whitelock pushes himself over the 22 and it comes to McCaw who loses it forwards.
48 Min: Crusaders with a scrum on the Canes 22…McCaw off the back to Ellis who gives it to Maitland…now George Whitelock and the ball has made it’s way to Robbie Fruean who runs straight over the top of Wilson and makes some good ground…Hurricanes manage to turn it over though but they eventually concede a penalty so it will be a scrum feed for the Crusaders…
47 Min: Word on the street is the referee has forgotten his cards so don’t expect any sin bins for the next few minutes…
46 Min: Richie McCaw has picked the ball up from the Crusaders lineout and taken it into the Hurricanes 22…but they concede a penalty…
45 Min: Taylors penalty is dragged to wide and the Hurricanes clear it…
44 Min: Wilson feeds his first Super Rugby scrum…Crusaders scrum is fantastic though and they win a penalty after he Hurricanes front row collapses…Tom Taylor will take another pop at goal.
42 Min: Chris Eaton has come of and Frae Wilson has come on for his Super Rugby debut.
41 Min: Hurricanes have given away a penalty early and it’s right out in front of the posts from within the 22….Taylor lands it and puts the Crusaders back in the lead.
Both teams are back out and it will be Tom Taylor of the Crusaders to restart.
41 Min: The siren goes and that’s halftime.
40 Min: Barrett converts a tricky conversion from the sideline.
39 Min: Here come the Hurricanes through Eaton who gives it to Shields and now Smith…Hurricanes with an advantage but it’s Bateman to Smith out on the left side, Smith goes through two defenders and beats the man at the end to go over the line! TRY! VIDEO UP
37 Min: Taylor adds the two.
36 Min: Crotty plays a pass out very wide to Guildford…he goes between two defenders…he’s in space now! He beats another and goes through two more to go over the line! TRY! VIDEO UP
33 Min: Taylor kicks early from the midfield and it comes to Savea who ploughs over one defender…Crusaders have one the ball back though and Taylor has kicked it away down the sideline and Crotty is in hot pursuit! But he misses the kick ahead and Barrett cleans it up.
31 Min: Ellis goes blind to Guildford from the scrum…Hurricanes rip it back though and now it’s Bateman on the left hand side with a run…he’s tackled, Jason Eaton picks it up and is hustled into touch.
30 Min: Dane Coles third throw is again not straight…He hasn’t thrown one straight yet this game…
29 Min: Barrett swings the ball out to Conrad Smith who opts to go up the middle…back to Barrett who tries to thread through a grubber but Tom Taylor is there and he clears.
26 Min: Taylor lands the penalty this time.
25 Min: Andre Taylor works his way towards the halfway line…Eaton gives it to Jeremy Thrush who has the Whitelock brothers right on him, he’s lost it and now they kick ahead to chase! Eaton gets back and regathers the ball well but he’s almost bustled over the try line by George Whitelock…Crusaders win a scrum 5 metres out…Off the scrum and it’s Fruean who almost makes the gaps! Ellis tries to go blind to Crotty but it’s been intercepted by Barrett! He has no one in front of him! But no it’s been called back by the ref for a penalty.
24 Min: Crusaders recycling quickly…Taylor tries to step through but can’t and eventually loses it forward.
23 Min: Crusaders win a penalty and Taylor will take another shot at goal…It looks good…but it’s struck the crossbar and Bateman clears it! Crusaders still push though…
20 Min: Crusaders with a scrum in the Hurricanes half, McCaw takes a little while to go out to the left and he is almost tackled with the ball, Crusaders still attack however…Corey Flynn bustles forward, and it looks as though Luke Romano has knocked it on…Hurricanes come away with it and Barrett tries to run it from his tryline dangerously, but is tackled…Conrad Smith eventually clears.
16 Min: Ellis goes to Taylor off the back of the scrum who gets slammed by Bateman and he loses the ball but Ellis is there to clear the ball…Andre Taylor for the Hurricanes now with a great little kick which he manages to get back…Hurricanes starting to hit their stride…Barrett goes to Savea who goes back inside to Taylor who breaks the line! He’s tackled 10 metres out but gets an offload to Conrad Smith who goes over the line! TRY! But it looks as though there may have been some sheparding there from Savea? But the try still stands and Barrett lands the 2. VIDEO UP
16 Min: Another Dane Coles throw isn’t straight…
15 Min: Crusaders with a quick throw in and they look to launch an attack…Luke Romano gets pinged for entering the ruck from the side.
12 Min: Savea crunches into the line from the lineout…Hurricanes win a penalty with an opportunity to get some points on the board through a Barrett penalty…he nails it.
11 Min: Fruean with another line break deep in his own half…Guildford with a little kick and chase in the middle of the park but it’s fielde well by Chris Eaton and the ‘Canes win a penalty.
10 Min: Taylor makes his second of the night.
9 Min: Barrett’s restart is fielded brilliantly by Richie McCaw, the Crusaders have broken away now through Crotty and it’s McCaw in support…Hurricanes penalised for offside…this will be another shot at goal for Taylor.
8 Min: Tom Taylor has decided to take a shot at goal with that penalty…his first chance of the night and it goes over.
6 Min: Young Dane Coles throws his first lineout and it’s not straight, Crusaders scrum…Ellis feeds and goes to Taylor who tries a crossfield bomb to Guildford but Alapati Leiua fields it and kicks it back…Crusaders with a chance…Robbie Fruean makes some good ground…Crusaders win a penalty.
4 Min: Crusaders with another attack, they’re inside the Hurricanes 22…George Whitelock drives it forward…Hurricanes almost turn it over, and win a penalty for their efforts.
2 Min: Crusaders from in their own half…Taylor gives a little dummy and finds a gap! He gives it out wide to Crotty and he throws it back inside to Corey Flynn in space! He juggles the ball, gets it away to Ellis! But it’s called for a knock on. VIDEO UP
1 Min: Beauden Barrett of the Hurricanes gets us underway…Tom Taylor with an early punt downfield that hasn’t found touch…Crusaders set to bring it back after a Savea kick couldn’t find touch…
So both teams are out of the changing rooms and on to the turf and we are moments away from kick-off…
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Teams
Crusaders
1. Wyatt Crockett, 2. Corey Flynn, 3. Ben Franks, 4. Luke Romano, 5. Samuel Whitelock, 6. George Whitelock, 7. Matt Todd, 8. Richie McCaw (c), 9. Andy Ellis (vc), 10. Tom Taylor, 11. Zac Guildford, 12. Ryan Crotty, 13. Robbie Fruean, 14. Adam Whitelock, 15. Sean Maitland,
Replacements : 16. Quentin MacDonald, 17. Owen Franks, 18. Tom Donnelly / Ross Kennedy, 19. Luke Whitelock, 20. Willi Heinz, 21. Tyler Bleyendaal, 22. Patrick Osborne.
Hurricanes
1. Reg Goodes, 2. Dane Coles, 3. Ben May, 4. Jeremy Thrush, 5. Jason Eaton, 6. Faifili Levave, 7. Jack Lam / Karl Lowe, 8. Brad Shields, 9. Chris Eaton, 10. Beauden Barrett, 11. Julian Savea, 12. Tim Bateman, 13. Conrad Smith (c) ,14. Alapati Leiua, 15. Andre Taylor
Replacements :16. Motu Matu’u, 17. Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, 18. James Broadhurst, 19. Karl Lowe / Mark Reddish, 20. Frae Wilson, 21. Tusi Pisi, 22. Jayden Hayward
Pregame banter:
Crusaders captain Richie McCaw says a win over the Hurricanes in Christchurch on Saturday is crucial to their chances of earning a Super Rugby home semi-final.
The competition resumes this weekend after a month's break and with three rounds remaining before the six teams for the play-offs are known.
Placed fourth overall, the Crusaders still believe they can top the New Zealand conference and earn a home semi-final while the Hurricanes need a win to avoid falling outside the top six.
"The next three weeks are hugely critical," McCaw said.
"The teams that do the things right over the next three weeks will be in the hunt... It would be a pity now if we left the foot off, after all the hard work we've done in the previous 13 or 14 weeks."
The transition from international rugby had been smooth, he added.
The Crusaders have six All Blacks who played against Ireland - McCaw, Ben and Owen Franks, Luke Romano, Sam Whitelock, and Zac Guildford - returning for the round 16 fixture, while the Hurricanes have Conrad Smith, Julian Savea, and Beauden Barrett.
Injuries have deprived the Crusaders of three other All Blacks in Kieran Read (concussion), Dan Carter (hamstring) and Israel Dagg (ankle sprain).
"Every team has the same challenge, so it is whoever makes the best of it - if you have a negative view it will be tough."
McCaw says the Crusaders are well aware they needed to blunt the potent attacking strength of the Hurricanes' back three.
Hurricanes fullback Andre Taylor is the competition's leading try-scorer with 11 and new All Blacks wing Savea has scored seven.
"You give them ball with space and they can be pretty dangerous.
Hopefully we've addressed how we control that and when we have to defend we've got make sure they don't get easy yards."
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