By James Bennett
Join the team at 3news.co.nz/sport for live video updates of the Super Rugby final between the Reds and Crusaders live from Suncorp Stadium. We will keep you up to date with all the action.
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LIVE COMMENTARY: Final score: Reds 18 - 13 Crusaders
79 mins - Here they go...Slick backline move sends them into Reds territory.... Whistle...knock on.....And THE REDS HAVE WON THE SUPER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP, WHAT AN EFFORT, WHAT A TEAM!
79 mins - Lineout drama, the Reds snaffle it through Samo! And get a penalty! They should have this now and kick deep....Aww! They've knocked on and this is officially the final chance.
78 mins - Stu Dickinson is on the park and calls a penalty on Samo for a late shot...replay now...Ohh! tough call on the Reds there I feel... Crusader with one final chance.....you train for this stuff...
77 mins - Reds get it back form the 22 dropout...Crusaders need ball and they need it now....Cooper gets isolated but Reds are in overdrive now, numbers back behind the ball....
75 mins - Reds have a crack at goal, this could be the final nail....He's missed it, huge moment!
73 mins - Crusaders throwing everything at it, constant attack, a few loose passes though...PENALTY! Reds get a relieving penalty and clear from danger...Big moments...step up big game players, right now.
VIDEO UPDATED of the Genia try!
72 mins - Cooper can't convert, that could be crucial...
69 mins - WILL GENIA WITH POSSIBLY THE MATCH WINNER!? TRY REDS....He got the ball in his own half and split them up the middle, Fotuali'i with a weak attempt at an ankle tap...he lines up Cooper on the outside but then tucks the ball under the wing and goes for he line, he's over in the tackle and slams the ball down, video coming.
67 mins - Genia finds Ioane deep inside his own half, the opt to run it but eventually sanity prevails and they kick to touch.
65 mins - Crusaders scrum on fire and they have earned the turnover...Carter rallies the troops out wide, Fotuali'i is on at halfback and kicks deep but the Reds have plenty of time...
62 mins - Reds hot on attack... they settle it with the forwards, possible droppy coming? No, not yet, Cooper swings it wide and Davies loses it...Aww but then McCaw knocks on and the Reds have a scrum 40m out.
59 mins - Bit of drama, it looked like Rob Simmons was away on the intercept, he pushed away Zac Guildford and was over the line BUT Lawrence called them back for a knock on....
58 mins - VIDEO UPDATED of the Ioane try and the latest action as the Crusaders hit another counter...
57mins - Carter brings the Crusaders back on level pegging with a penalty goal...This is going to be tight til the final whistle.
53 mins - Reds on the attack once more, a clever kick and Ellis is forced to football kick it out a couple from his own line...Red wave at the moment... Penalty! Didn't release...Crusaders off the hook, great counter ruck from Read.
51 mins - TRY REDS! Two quick passes on the counter from Genia first then Cooper and Ioane was in the gap, he gassed it through and a massive side step gets him to the line...TRY DIGBY IOANE. Converted and the Reds hit the lead...Video coming.
49 mins - Crusaders have a scrum 5m out, they have the wood in the scrums and earn a penalty...Richie thinks about packing down again but then points to the posts..Carter to line it up.... Straight through..Crusaders lead grows.
VIDEO UPDATED of second half action...Video coming of the Thorn no try.
47 mins - Replays not showing a lot...."Bryce are you there? The video shows the player has been held up"...NO TRY!
47 mins - POSSIBLE TRY CRUSADERS! Thorn barges his way over from second phase play..we are going up the TMO. Thorn is sure he's scored it..throwing the ball in the air!
45 mins - Digby Ioane has a shocker, he fails to field an Ellis kick inside his 22m and knocks on handing the Crusaders a golden opportunity to start the half.
43 mins - Reds hit back hard, slowly building phases this time, Cooper tries his stuff on the flanks but Fruean gets in the way...Crusaders clear but not out...game at a high pace once more!
42 mins - Aww! Chance Crusaders, SBW found Fruean on the bust and he made some good metres...Maitland was there on his shoulder but he couldn't haul it in...the line beckoning...video coming.
41 mins- Back underway, Cooper kicks off and Ellis returns the favour kicking out near halfway.
Halftime
40 mins - Exactly what happens...Genia boots it half way up Suncorp Stadium and the players jog off. Quality first half really, engaging, running rugby...expect more of the same in the second spell, check out the video in the break.
39 mins - Final scrum being packed as the siren sounds in the background. Reds will probably look to get this into the stands and head to the sheds.
38 mins - Cooper answer with a penalty goal after a Brad Thorn trip, not great from the tall timber.. Cooper certainly is kicking better tonight, striking it well.... VIDEO UPDATED of the Carter try.
36 mins - Step up the big players in the big games, Carter was all class there, video coming.
34 mins - STAND UP DAN CARTER! TRY CRUSADERS! After the patient buildup, he ran blind and put a cheeky grubber in, followed up and regatherd, crossing the line in the shadow of Quade Cooper....Easy conversion...Crusaders are back.
33 mins - Patient stuff from the red and blacks as they inch toward the Reds 22m. Phase after phase but the Queenslanders defence.
31 mins - YES he has..Cooper nails it, didn't look like missing...cracking stuff from QC. First blood to the Reds, video coming.
30 mins - Carter penalised at ruck time, lost his footing and gets pinged by Lawrence...here's a chance for Cooper to have a crack at goal. Has he brought the kicking boots tonight?
VIDEO UPDATED of a cracking kick from Guildford.
28 mins - More possession changes, with a quick lineout thrown in for good measure...After all that we have another scrum 10m in own half, Crusader ball, classic.
27 mins - Untidy ball at the base of the scrum from Genia and Samo and they pay the ultimate price, scrum down Crusader ball. 10m in their own half.
24 mins - The turf is cutting up like nobody's business, huge chunks coming up....Someone needs to get a grip of this match, get it by the scruff and dictate terms because right now it is more akin to a game of hot potato than the Super Rugby final.
22 mins - Aww Carter was metres out and if he held on they would've been in, instead Genia snaffles it, kicks it and puts the Crusaders under pressure and right now this is absolute helter skelter stuff, at present Reds on the attack, ball changing hands quicker than Shane Bond with the Zimbabwean tail in.
20 mins - It really feels like the Crusaders are slowly and surely wearing the Reds down...can the Queenslanders keep up this intensity for 80 minutes...time will tell.
19 mins- Stat time - Territory 73% Crusaders, Reds 27% but the possession in favour of the Reds.
18 mins - Crusaders edging their way to the line...slow, steady buildup, typical red and black rugby...VIDEO UPDATED of Flynn's dodgy lineout work.
16 mins - Penalty Crusaders, 22m out and 10m in...Dan Carter steps up to the plate but no..he's missed it...
14 mins - Cooper tries to weave some magic but only ends up putting his backs under pressure...Aww! Flynn again not straight from the resulting lineout...not a good start for the big fella.
12 mins - Aww not straight from Corey Flynn at lineout time, not ideal in the final.
11 mins - Reds try to use the pack but are pinged for offside play, the old truck and trailer move. Carter kicks deep and we will go to a lineout.
10 mins - This is an open game of running rugby so far, Reds go up the middle involving the big men from the pack. Attacking scrum for them now, just outside the 22m.
VIDEO UPDATED of the Cooper chip.
7 mins - Crusaders swing it form the scrum base but it's too hard to handle for Fruean and he knocks on.
5 mins - Aww Cooper tries a little chip and Ioane came streaming thorough, but doesn't catch it, he sort of tried to jump into it, weird, video coming.
5 mins - Crusaders enjoy some time with the ball, McCaw takes it into contact, just over half way now, Andy Ellis got isolated and lost it.
3 mins - George Whitelock steals the ball and runs straight through the middle, second phase and DC tries a little chip kick. Reds deal with it though and Genia box kicks over his pack...
1 min - Reds with the early ball, Holmes, Samo getting early touches...scrum down Reds ball 10m on their side of halfway.
Kickoff - And we are off, Dan Carter gets us under way as the teams feel each other out early - no homo.
9:39pm - Here they come, both sides are on the park, get ready for some Super Rugby Final action, live.
9:36pm - McCaw doing the talking for the red and blacks, James Horwill for the Reds. VIDEO UPDATED.
9:33pm - The two teams have done their warm ups and are back in the sheds, see them go through last minute preparations...Video coming.
9:31pm - No team has come from third in regular season to win a Super Rugby title...can the Crusaders make even more history in 2011?
9:28pm - The battle of the first fives will be a cracker to watch. DC V QC, both internationals, both quality players, who will win the battle of the boots?
9.23pm - Tick, tick, tick goes the clock as we count down for the big one. Remember, the Crusaders have won 7 titles and the Reds none. Let's hope it will be eight to the Crusaders after 80 minutes and the Reds still unable to break their duck.
9:13pm - The Reds have beaten the Crusaders the last four times they have met... all Kiwis are hoping they will not make it five.
9:06pm - This is the big one...the one we've all been waiting for. Can the Crusaders go the whole way after a season of travel or will the form side of the competition, the Reds, finish in style and win their first ever Super Rugby title?
We will bring you live commentary from 9:00pm, in the meantime you can check out the video of the Crusaders semi final against the Stormers.
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VENUE & TIME: Suncorp Stadium Brisbane, Saturday July 9, 21:35 NZT.
HEAD TO HEAD: Played 17 – Reds 5, Crusaders 12
LAST TIME: May 29, 2011 (Brisbane) - Reds 17-16 Crusaders
Lock Luke Romano trained with the team on Wednesday after his delayed flight from Cape Town after suffering chicken pox.
He has been bracketed with veteran Chris Jack. Halfback Andy Ellis had a worry with his knee and shoulder bruising and was bracketed in the original team named with Kahn Fotuali'i.
The Reds have had the rare privilege of fielding their first unchanged team all season.
Reds Past Five:
Playoff: Beat Blues 30-13 (h)
Week 18: Beat Chiefs 19-11 (a)
Week 17: Beat Force 24-21 (a)
Week 16: Lost to Brumbies 14-22 (h)
Week 15: Beat Crusaders 17-16 (h)
Crusaders Past Five:
Playoff: Beat Stormers 29-10 (a)
Playoff: Beat Sharks 36-8 (h)
Round 18: Beat Hurricanes 16-9 (h)
Round 17: Beat Blues 23-16 (h)
Round 16: Bye
Round 15: Lost to Reds 16-17 (a)
Not only have the Reds now won their first playoff match in Super Rugby, they will play, and host, their first final.
They lost semi-finals after having topped the points tables in 1996 and 1999.
The Crusaders became the first side in Super Rugby to defeat an opponent away from home twice in the same season.
And in winning a semi-final away, it was the first time that had happened since 2002 and it was the first time since 1999 when a team had won a semi-final in another country.
For a team which has achieved so much it is worth remembering the Crusaders are the only side to have won a final overseas – the Brumbies were on the receiving end in 2000. However, on this occasion the Crusaders have a chance to become the first team to have finished third in the regular season to win the title.
Wing Rod Davies can claim to be on fire after becoming the first Red to score a hat-trick of tries in Super Rugby.
Quade Cooper was such a dominating force in the semi-final that he proved the game-breaker undoing the Blues three times.
Flanker Beau Robinson proved a handful in the loose, but the opposition is a notch or two higher this time around in not only Richie McCaw but Kieran Read and George Whitelock.
Dan Carter stepped up in the big-game atmosphere and showed he had not lost his kicking form after a disappointing effort the week before.
He goes into the final needing four points to overtake former team-mate Andrew Mehrtens as the leading scorer in Super Rugby finals. He has 54 points.
In Cape Town he became the first player to move past 200 points in playoff matches.
The other factor in the game will be the Crusaders front five, and the powerful scrummaging unit that has emerged with Wyatt Crockett, Corey Flynn and the Franks brothers, Ben and Owen.
Nerves should not be an issue for either side. The Crusaders have been here before, while the Reds have not shown any sign of nerves at any stage of the season.
This is a true final where there are so many fine players in each position on both sides. The closeness of the earlier game between the two, and the fact they are both driven by physical disasters which hit their home areas earlier in the year, gives this final a uniqueness.
Either team will be a worthy winner and it could be that yet again crunch games are decided by a mistake at a crucial moment, perhaps conceding a penalty goal, or a dropped goal before the winner is decided.
It would be no surprise were a conclusion not reached until extra time had been played. That would also sum up the long, drawn out first season of the 15-team competition.
On that basis favouritism may rest on the more consistent goal-kicking of Carter, but it would be in keeping that Cooper found his kicking form in the heat of the contest.
TEAMS:
Reds:
1. Ben Daley, 2. Saia Faingaa, 3. Greg Holmes, 4. Rob Simmons, 5. James Horwill (c), 6. Scott Higginbotham, 7. Beau Robinson, 8. Radike Samo, 9. Will Genia (vc), 10. Quade Cooper, 11. Digby Ioane, 12. Ben Tapuai, 13. Anthony Faingaa, 14. Rod Davies, 15. Jono Lance
Replacements: 16. James Hanson, 17. Guy Shepherdson, 18. Adam Wallace-Harrison, 19. Jake Schatz, 20. Liam Gill, 21. Ian Prior, 22. Will Chambers
Crusaders: 1. Wyatt Crockett, 2. Corey Flynn, 3. Owen Franks, 4. Brad Thorn, 5. Sam Whitelock, 6. George Whitelock, 7. Richie McCaw (c), 8. Kieran Read, 9. Andy Ellis/Kahn Foutali'i, 10. Daniel Carter, 11. Zac Guildford, 12. Sonny Bill Williams, 13. Robbie Fruean, 14. Sean Maitland, 15. Tom Marshall
Replacements: 16. Quentin MacDonald, 17. Ben Franks, 18. Luke Romano/Chris Jack, 19. Matt Todd, 20. Fotuali'i/Willi Heinz, 21. Matt Berquist, 22. Ryan Crotty
REFEREE: Bryce Lawrence
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