Franco Molina produced a stunning hat-trick as the Western Force pulled off a 42–19 bonus-point upset over the Queensland Reds at Suncorp Stadium — their first bonus-point win over the Reds since 2012.

The result keeps the Force’s finals hopes alive as they improved to 2–5, while the Reds slipped to 4–3 and dropped to sixth on the ladder — a defeat that could have shot them into third place with a win.

Key moments

12 mins – TRY FORCE: The Force build through phases before Franco Molina snipes around the ruck to dot down beside the posts. Ben Donaldson converts. (Force 7–0)

17 mins – TRY REDS: A slick set-piece move from the lineout sees Hunter Paisami pop a lovely ball out the back, sending Tim Ryan through a massive gap to score under the sticks. Jock Campbell converts. (Force 7–7)

24 mins – TRY REDS: The Force collapse at scrum time and Kalani Thomas taps quickly, stepping past two defenders before firing to Joe Brial, who barges over. Campbell hits the post. (Reds 12–7)

32 mins – TRY FORCE: Molina burrows low through multiple pick-and-goes before muscling his way over for his second. Donaldson converts. (Force 14–12)

40 mins – TRY FORCE: A brilliant counter sparked by Dylan Pietsch opens space down the left. Nick Champion de Crespigny strides away and draws the fullback before linking with Mac Grealy on the inside to score. Donaldson converts. (Force 21–12)

Half-time: Force 21–12. The Force head into the sheds with a nine-point lead after a lively first half. Molina has been immense, while the Reds have looked dangerous but let themselves down with errors at key moments.

50 mins – TRY FORCE: Donaldson stabs a perfectly weighted cross-kick to the right wing and Darby Lancaster flies high above Campbell to take a clean catch and score in the corner. Lancaster limps off with an ankle injury. Donaldson converts. (Force 28–12)

54 mins – YELLOW CARD REDS: Harry Wilson is sent to the bin for head-on-head contact with Molina. The Force immediately attack with a man advantage.

59 mins – TRY FORCE: The Force win the lineout and charge around the corner. Brandon Paenga-Amosa shrugs off a defender and dots down beside the posts. Donaldson converts. (Force 35–12)

76 mins – TRY REDS: Josh Flook gets a brilliant short ball from Wilson on the right wing and breaks clean through from 70 metres out. He draws the fullback and fires to Filipo Daugunu, who streaks away to score in the corner. Harry McLaughlin-Phillips converts. (Force 35–19)

80+1 mins – TRY FORCE: Molina gets it one-off the ruck, bumping off defenders and carrying two players over the line with him to complete a stunning hat-trick and seal the bonus point. Donaldson converts. (Force 42–19)

Full-time: Western Force 42–19 Queensland Reds

Match report

NRL convert Zac Lomax was expected to make his rugby union debut off the bench, but the former St George Illawarra and Parramatta star was ruled out less than an hour before kick-off due to hamstring tightness.

“Zac trained fully on Thursday but only got up to 80 per cent speed,” Force head coach Simon Cron explained. “He was just a bit tight in his hamstring. Maybe got a very minor strain in there. Because he’s a power athlete who, if we put him away down the edge, he’s going to sprint, it’s just too high a risk for him and for us.”

Lomax, who signed a two-year deal with Rugby Australia with the 2027 home World Cup the obvious carrot, will now target his debut against the Fijian Drua in Lautoka next weekend.

In the absence of injured captain Jeremy Williams, Argentina international Molina stepped up with a performance that drew gasps from commentators. “What have we just witnessed from the second rower?” Tim Horan said on Stan Sport after Molina completed his hat-trick.

The Pumas lock opened the scoring in the 12th minute with a smart snipe around the ruck. Brandon Paenga-Amosa wound up close to the line, with Jack Daly hammering away just short before Molina caught the defence napping, dotting down beside the posts for a converted try.

His second came just past the half-hour mark after a 50-22 kick put the Force in prime position. Molina burrowed low through multiple pick-and-goes, with Daly having another dig before Molina muscled his way over with help from his fellow forwards.

His third was the most emphatic. With the clock red and a bonus point at stake, Molina got it one-off the ruck, bumping off defenders and carrying two players over the line with him to complete a stellar performance. Beyond his tries, Molina was influential in several clutch lineout plays, including a crucial steal inside his own 22 when the Reds were threatening in the second half.

The Force had started brightly, with Darby Lancaster making a brilliant catch from Henry Robertson’s box kick before breaking the line. Fraser McReight’s work at the breakdown won a penalty to relieve pressure, but the visitors maintained their stranglehold on territory.

The Reds responded well to Molina’s opener through a beautifully worked set-piece move. Joe Brial secured the lineout cleanly and Seru Uru shifted the ball right, finding Hunter Paisami to dig into the defensive line. Paisami then popped a lovely ball out the back after sucking in defenders, sending replacement Tim Ryan through a massive gap to score under the sticks.

When the Force collapsed at scrum time, halfback Kalani Thomas showed quick thinking by tapping immediately. He stepped past two defenders before firing a great ball to Brial, who barged over to give Queensland a 12–7 lead after 24 minutes.

But the Force regained control through Molina’s second try and then struck a hammer blow right on half-time. A brilliant counter sparked by Dylan Pietsch saw him make a damaging run beyond halfway. The ball went left as Mac Grealy spotted space, firing it to stand-in captain Nick Champion de Crespigny on the wing. Champion de Crespigny strode away with no one around him, drew the fullback, and linked with Grealy on the inside, who strolled in to score down the left flank.

The Force headed into the sheds with a 21–12 lead — and crucially, they had finally converted a halftime advantage into victory after four losses this season despite leading at the break.

The Reds came out firing after the interval, with Paisami making an early break following Harry Wilson’s decoy line. But the Force’s scramble defence held firm, and they soon took complete control.

Ben Donaldson produced a moment of magic to extend the lead. With advantage being played, he stabbed a perfectly weighted cross-kick to the right wing. Lancaster flew high above Jock Campbell in the contest, taking a clean catch to score in the corner. The winger landed awkwardly, rolling his ankle badly, and limped off to be replaced by Kurtley Beale — one of several casualties on a brutal night.

When Reds captain Wilson was sent to the sin bin for head-on-head contact with Molina, the Force capitalised immediately. They won the lineout and charged around the corner, with Harry Johnson-Holmes getting close before Paenga-Amosa went at pace, shrugged off a defender, and dotted down beside the posts to extend the lead to 35–12.

“We spoke about it all week, sticking to our process,” Champion de Crespigny said afterwards. “We’ve been in a lot of games and haven’t been able to seal it out. Key moments letting them back in. We wanted today to have the complete performance.”

Josh Flook sparked an 80-metre counter-attack in the 76th minute, receiving a brilliant short ball from Wilson on the right wing and breaking clean through. Flook drew the fullback and fired to Filipo Daugunu, who had the gas to streak away and score in the corner. Harry McLaughlin-Phillips converted from the sideline, and the try threatened to deny the Force their bonus point.

But Molina had the final say. The Force won a scrum in the Reds 22 and attacked with intent as the siren sounded. Nic Dolly and Beale had cracks before Molina got it one-off the ruck and powered his way over for his hat-trick.

“It keeps our fire going inside of us,” Champion de Crespigny said of the result. “We’ve got that belief of where we want to go. We want to be the first team from the Force to be in the finals. That’s our objective.”

While Molina grabbed the headlines, flyhalf Donaldson was outstanding in his battle against Wallabies rival Carter Gordon. He finished with a perfect six-from-six off the tee, ran incisive lines, and kicked potently both in-play and at goal.

“Thursday I thought was his best training of the year,” Cron said of Donaldson. “Vocal. Flattening up. Taking on the line. He did that tonight again which was awesome for the team.”

The Force’s stats told the story: 42 defenders beaten to Queensland’s 17, 514 metres gained, and 180 carries compared to the Reds’ 94.

Both sides suffered casualties. Teenage Reds winger Treyvon Pritchard, earning his first start on his 19th birthday, lasted less than 10 minutes after failing his Head Injury Assessment following a cover tackle that helped stall a Force attack. Force prop Tom Robertson followed soon after when he was caught out of position tackling Tim Ryan, appearing to be knocked out after collecting Ryan’s elbow to the head.

For the Force, both starting wingers failed to finish — Pietsch limped off with a foot injury at half-time (described as precautionary), while Lancaster’s ankle injury from his spectacular try finish left him on crutches at full-time.

“It’s tough. I’m feeling flat. We were off tonight,” Reds captain Fraser McReight said. “At times, we were not clinical or accurate enough. Our discipline let us down and, at times, we were not up to scratch with our physicality. We’ll come back in at the start of next week, we’ll figure out what went wrong and get back into it.”

Reds coach Les Kiss — the Wallabies boss-in-waiting — acknowledged the challenge ahead. “Credit to the Force. They held the ball well and they punished our error rate. We’ll assess that game as hard as we always do. It’s not a throwaway line… we find out about ourselves in moments like this and we will go hard at our next challenge against the Crusaders.”

Cron praised Champion de Crespigny’s leadership: “We lost two Wallabies before this game in Carlo (Tizzano) and Jeremy who couldn’t play. Tom Robertson goes down 13 minutes into it, then Pietschy goes off, Darby goes off. Crep just led them all the way without any fault.”

He was also glowing about former Reds fullback Grealy’s display against his old side: “He played brilliantly tonight. He’s one of the players in our group who’s a bit of a lifeblood. He’s a funny man, or thinks he is. As you saw tonight, he’s talented.”

What’s next

The Reds host the Crusaders at Suncorp Stadium next Saturday in one of the biggest games of the season. The Force will remain in Brisbane before flying to Fiji to face the Drua in Lautoka.

Teams

Reds: 15 Jock Campbell, 14 Filipo Daugunu, 13 Josh Flook, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Treyvon Pritchard, 10 Carter Gordon, 9 Kalani Thomas, 8 Harry Wilson, 7 Fraser McReight (c), 6 Joe Brial, 5 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 4 Seru Uru, 3 Nick Bloomfield, 2 Josh Nasser, 1 Aidan Ross.
Replacements: 16 Matt Faessler, 17 Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, 18 Zane Nonggorr, 19 Hamish Muller, 20 Vaiuta Latu, 21 Louis Werchon, 22 Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, 23 Tim Ryan.

Force: 15 Mac Grealy, 14 Dylan Pietsch, 13 George Bridge, 12 Bayley Kuenzle, 11 Darby Lancaster, 10 Ben Donaldson, 9 Henry Robertson, 8 Vaiolini Ekuasi, 7 Jack Daly, 6 Nick Champion de Crespigny (c), 5 Darcy Swain, 4 Franco Molina, 3 Misinale Epenisa, 2 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 1 Tom Robertson.
Replacements: 16 Nic Dolly, 17 Sef Fa’agase, 18 Harry Johnson-Holmes, 19 Lopeti Faifua, 20 Will Harris, 21 Agustin Moyano, 22 Kurtley Beale, 23 Hamish Stewart.

Match details

Western Force 42 (Tries: Molina 3, Grealy, Lancaster, Paenga-Amosa; Conversions: Donaldson 6/6)
Queensland Reds 19 (Tries: Ryan, Brial, Daugunu; Conversions: Campbell 1/2, McLaughlin-Phillips 1/1)
Half-time: 21–12
Yellow card: Harry Wilson (Reds, 54′)

Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (NZ)
Assistant referees: Todd Petrie, Warwick Lahmert
TMO: Richard Kelly

Teams

Reds: 15 Jock Campbell, 14 Filipo Daugunu, 13 Josh Flook, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Treyvon Pritchard, 10 Carter Gordon, 9 Kalani Thomas, 8 Harry Wilson, 7 Fraser McReight (c), 6 Joe Brial, 5 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 4 Seru Uru, 3 Nick Bloomfield, 2 Josh Nasser, 1 Aidan Ross.
Replacements: 16 Matt Faessler, 17 Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, 18 Zane Nonggorr, 19 Hamish Muller, 20 Vaiuta Latu, 21 Louis Werchon, 22 Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, 23 Tim Ryan.

Force: 15 Mac Grealy, 14 Dylan Pietsch, 13 George Bridge, 12 Bayley Kuenzle, 11 Darby Lancaster, 10 Ben Donaldson, 9 Henry Robertson, 8 Vaiolini Ekuasi, 7 Jack Daly, 6 Nick Champion de Crespigny (c), 5 Darcy Swain, 4 Franco Molina, 3 Misinale Epenisa, 2 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 1 Tom Robertson.
Replacements: 16 Nic Dolly, 17 Sef Fa’agase, 18 Harry Johnson-Holmes, 19 Lopeti Faifua, 20 Will Harris, 21 Agustin Moyano, 22 Kurtley Beale, 23 Hamish Stewart.

Match details

Western Force 42 (Tries: Molina 3, Grealy, Lancaster, Paenga-Amosa; Conversions: Donaldson 6/6)
Queensland Reds 19 (Tries: Ryan, Brial, Daugunu; Conversions: Campbell 1/2, McLaughlin-Phillips 1/1)
Half-time: 21–12
Yellow card: Harry Wilson (Reds, 54′)

Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (NZ)

Quinn Tupaea and Kyren Taumoefolau each scored twice as the Chiefs cruised to a 42–14 bonus-point victory over the NSW Waratahs in Hamilton, leaping into third place on the Super Rugby Pacific ladder.

The result extends the Waratahs’ dismal record across the Tasman — they have now lost 11 consecutive matches in New Zealand and haven’t won in Hamilton since 2014, the year they claimed their only title.

Key moments

8 mins – TRY CHIEFS: Xavier Roe stabs a kick in behind after a dominant scrum and Sid Harvey fails to scoop it up, allowing Kyren Taumoefolau to pounce on the loose ball. Josh Jacomb misses the conversion. (Chiefs 5–0)

15 mins – PENALTY CHIEFS: Jacomb slots a penalty from in front after Charlie Gamble is pinged at the breakdown. (Chiefs 8–0)

27 mins – TRY CHIEFS: The Chiefs hammer away from close range, rolling through multiple phases before Samisoni Taukei’aho burrows over from a Roe pop pass. Jacomb misses the conversion. (Chiefs 13–0)

31 mins – TRY WARATAHS: The Waratahs stay patient on the right before swinging it through the hands. Max Jorgensen fires a pass wide to find Sid Harvey unmarked on the left wing. Harvey converts his own try. (Chiefs 13–7)

37 mins – TRY CHIEFS: Quinn Tupaea creates the opportunity with a classy break before finding the space close to the line several phases later. He dives over to the right of the posts. Jacomb converts. (Chiefs 20–7)

40 mins – PENALTY CHIEFS: Jacomb caps off a dominant first half with another three-pointer after Harvey is isolated at ruck-time. (Chiefs 23–7)

Half-time: Chiefs 23–7. A comfortable lead at the break for the Chiefs, who have dominated territory and possession. Their scrum has proved a key weapon, while Kaylum Boshier, Quinn Tupaea and Kyren Taumoefolau have all looked dangerous with ball in hand.

46 mins – TRY CHIEFS: Roe makes the initial break before spellbinding play from Jacomb sets up Tupaea for his second. The centre shows great strength to shed defenders and crash over. Jacomb converts. (Chiefs 30–7)

59 mins – TRY CHIEFS: Tupou Vaa’i holds up a pass to send Ollie Norris charging through a hole, and the loosehead bursts into the 22. He pops it off the deck to Samipeni Finau, who crashes over. Jacomb converts. (Chiefs 37–7)

69 mins – TRY WARATAHS: Strong carries from Folau Fainga’a set the platform before Jake Gordon finds Pete Samu, who strolls over from close range. Harvey converts. (Chiefs 37–14)

76 mins – TRY CHIEFS: Taumoefolau flies out of the line and crunches Triston Reilly, forcing the turnover. He gathers the loose ball and races 60 metres untouched to seal the bonus point. Jacomb misses. (Chiefs 42–14)

Full-time: Chiefs 42–14

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h2>Match report/h2>

After snapping an eight-match losing streak against the ACT Brumbies in Canberra last week, the Waratahs travelled to Waikato chasing another hoodoo-busting win to regain a place in the competition’s top six. Instead, Dan McKellar’s men were never truly in the contest after heading to the sheds trailing 23–7 at the break.

“The first half there’s a lot of times where we gave ourselves opportunities, and just a few dropped balls, a bit of skill execution, when we need to finish off against the Chiefs,” said rueful skipper Matt Philip. “They don’t give you that many opportunities and we played a lot of rugby in our end and we couldn’t win that physical battle.”

Hamilton presents one of the toughest challenges in Super Rugby for visiting teams. The Waratahs are greeted by an ultra-physical pack and incessant cow bells from the crowd — and it relentlessly shines a spotlight on errors.

In his first start since round two, Taumoefolau reminded everyone of his star power from his time with Moana Pasifika last year. Injuries to Damian McKenzie (concussion) and Etene Nanai-Seturo (foot) gave the 22-year-old the opportunity to start on the left wing, and he made the most of it.

His first try came in the eighth minute when Waratahs fullback Sid Harvey — a goalkicking hero in last week’s 30–28 win over the Brumbies — was unable to clean up a probing Xavier Roe grubber kick. Taumoefolau was quickest to react, pouncing on the loose ball to open the scoring.

His second was even more emphatic. In the 76th minute, Taumoefolau flew out of the defensive line and crunched centre Triston Reilly, forcing the turnover. He gathered the loose ball and raced 60 metres untouched to put the icing on the cake.

It was a scrappy start from both sides, with errors creeping into the early exchanges. But a simple knock-on from Waratahs playmaker Jack Debreczeni opened the door for the first try. From the ensuing scrum, Kaylum Boshier broke through and sent Roe into space, with Roe kicking ahead for Taumoefolau to score.

A Jacomb penalty extended the lead to 8–0, and the Chiefs continued to apply pressure. The Waratahs’ defence held firm initially — Max Jorgensen produced a brilliant trysaver on Emoni Narawa, sprinting from the midfield to tackle the winger, while Roe was held up over the line after a sustained attacking spell.

But the dam eventually broke. After a 13-phase build-up, bulldozing hooker Samisoni Taukei’aho crashed over from close range. The Chiefs’ patience in building phases — rather than flinging the ball wide — was paying dividends.

After being starved of possession, the Waratahs finally worked their way into Chiefs territory for the first time since the opening exchanges. Two infringements by the hosts allowed a rare foray into the danger zone, and winger Jorgensen flung a massive 20-metre pass to his left flank where fullback Harvey was in a heap of space to slide over for his first career try. Harvey followed it with a tricky conversion from the left sideline.

But just as the Waratahs looked to be building momentum heading into the break, the Chiefs struck again. Leroy Carter gave a deft pass for Tupaea to go clean through, and the power-packed centre smashed Harvey to pieces before burrowing over a few rucks later to put the lead back in double digits.

Then right on the stroke of halftime, a dropped high ball from Harvey allowed Josh Lord to show off his kicking skills. Tupou Vaa’i got over the top to win a penalty in front of the sticks, sending the Chiefs to the sheds up 23–7.

The Chiefs endured an untidy start to the second half and had Narawa leave the action with a leg injury — which gave former Hurricane Daniel Sinkinson his Chiefs debut off the bench. But it was another scrum penalty which quickly turned the tide.

Another patient build-up ensued and off a nice ball from Jacomb, Tupaea cut back on the inside to brush away Andrew Kellaway and then carry centre Reilly over the line for his double in the 46th minute.

Then came the moment of the match. Finau produced a crunching hit on Waratahs prop Siosifa Amone — reminiscent of the monster tackles he had made a habit of putting on Aussie flyhalves in recent years — which led to a turnover. The bruising blindside was later rewarded when Vaa’i held up a nice pass for Ollie Norris to make a good burst and offload for Finau to charge 10 metres and over the chalk.

Pete Samu hit back for the Waratahs after a charging run from replacement tighthead Amone, but by then the result was beyond doubt.

While Taumoefolau grabbed the headlines with his brace, the Chiefs’ All Blacks contingent laid the platform. Tupaea was influential throughout, demonstrating why he is leading the votes for Super Rugby player of the year. Fellow national rep Carter made a fine fist of centre in just his second run there, with all his pace proving particularly pivotal on defence.

Finau was outstanding on both sides of the ball, while flyhalf Jacomb steered the side more than ably in McKenzie’s absence — even if he had an off night with the boot, missing three conversions.

The Chiefs’ scrum dominance told the story. They blew away the Waratahs at set-piece time, which laid the platform in a big way. The stats backed it up: 358 post-contact metres to 215, and 135 ball carries to 86.

“We can’t have the Chiefs, who are such a good attacking side, living in our 22. We’re going to let up points eventually,” Philip said.

“Look, when we play our game and execute our roles, we do some good things. We saw that last week in Canberra. But unfortunately we couldn’t take the momentum and we dropped off a bit tonight and weren’t good enough, so we’ll be reviewing that hard into the bye this week.

“We’re going to still look at those 80-minute performances, the last passes, and a little bit about discipline as well.”

The Chiefs are back in action next Saturday when they face Moana Pasifika in Rotorua, while the Waratahs have the bye before returning with a home game against Moana Pasifika.

Teams

Chiefs: 15 Liam Coombes-Fabling, 14 Emoni Narawa, 13 Leroy Carter, 12 Quinn Tupaea, 11 Kyren Taumoefolau, 10 Josh Jacomb, 9 Xavier Roe, 8 Kaylum Boshier, 7 Luke Jacobson (c), 6 Samipeni Finau, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Josh Lord, 3 Reuben O’Neill, 2 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 1 Ollie Norris.
Replacements: 16 Brodie McAlister, 17 Jared Proffit, 18 George Dyer, 19 Seuseu Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 20 Simon Parker, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Kyle Brown, 23 Daniel Sinkinson.

Waratahs: 15 Sid Harvey, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Triston Reilly, 12 Joey Walton, 11 Max Jorgensen, 10 Jack Debreczeni, 9 Teddy Wilson, 8 Pete Samu, 7 Charlie Gamble, 6 Clem Halaholo, 5 Miles Amatosero, 4 Matt Philip (c), 3 Dan Botha, 2 Ethan Dobbins, 1 Tom Lambert.
Replacements: 16 Folau Fainga’a, 17 Jack Barrett, 18 Siosifa Amone, 19 Angus Blyth, 20 Jamie Adamson, 21 Jake Gordon, 22 Jack Bowen, 23 George Poolman.

Match details

Chiefs 42 (Tries: Tupaea 2, Taumoefolau 2, Taukei’aho, Finau; Conversions: Jacomb 3/6; Penalties: Jacomb 2/2)
Waratahs 14 (Tries: Harvey, Samu; Conversions: Harvey 2/2)
Half-time: 23–7

Venue: FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton
Attendance: 11,475
Referee: James Doleman (NZ)
Assistant referees: Marcus Playle, Fraser Hannon
TMO: Glenn Newman

Codie Taylor scored four tries on his 150th appearance as the Crusaders farewelled Apollo Projects Stadium with a dominant 69–26 victory over the Fijian Drua in Christchurch.

Key moments

3 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: Chay Fihaki breaks the line from an inside ball and Will Jordan throws a looping pass for Sevu Reece to score in the corner. Taha Kemara misses the conversion. (Crusaders 5–0)

10 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: Jamie Hannah releases Fletcher Newell into a huge hole with a slick backdoor offload and Leicester Fainga’anuku finishes in the corner. Kemara’s conversion drifts left. (Crusaders 10–0)

14 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: Codie Taylor crashes over from a rolling maul for his first — his 50th try for the Crusaders. Kemara converts. (Crusaders 17–0)

18 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: Taylor doubles his tally from another lineout drive. Kemara converts. (Crusaders 24–0)

22 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: Leicester Fainga’anuku’s excellent cross-kick is grabbed by Sevu Reece, who scores inside the corner flag for his second. Kemara converts. (Crusaders 31–0)

30 mins – TRY FIJIAN DRUA: Joseva Tamani powers over from close range to stem the bleeding. Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula converts. (Crusaders 31–7)

32 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: Will Jordan breaches the defence and Antonio Shalfoon sets up Chay Fihaki. Kemara converts. (Crusaders 38–7)

34 mins – YELLOW CARD CRUSADERS: Johnny Lee shown yellow for repeated team infringements.

37 mins – TRY FIJIAN DRUA: The Drua capitalise on their numerical advantage as Elia Canakaivata finishes off a driving maul. Armstrong-Ravula misses the conversion. (Crusaders 38–12)

Half-time: Crusaders 38–12. The Crusaders ran riot in the opening quarter, racing to a 31–0 lead in just 23 minutes. Codie Taylor’s brace from the maul and Sevu Reece’s double set the tone, though Johnny Lee’s yellow card gave the visitors a lifeline heading into the break.

41 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: Taylor completes his hat-trick with a pick-and-go from close range just 90 seconds into the second half. Kemara converts. (Crusaders 45–12)

44 mins – TRY FIJIAN DRUA: Issak Fines-Leleiwasa makes the break and Zuriel Togiatama’s work allows Elia Canakaivata to score his second. Armstrong-Ravula converts. (Crusaders 45–19)

47 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: Leicester Fainga’anuku produces a spellbinding run and offloads to Codie Taylor for his fourth — completing his haul just before the 50-minute mark. Kemara converts. (Crusaders 52–19)

53 mins – TRY FIJIAN DRUA: Former Crusader Manasa Mataele produces a stunning individual effort to score against his old club. Armstrong-Ravula converts. (Crusaders 52–26)

58 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: Corey Kellow crashes over after sustained pressure near the line. Kemara misses. (Crusaders 57–26)

60 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: Chay Fihaki intercepts and races away to score his second. Kemara converts. (Crusaders 64–26)

75 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: A gap opens in the defence and Sevu Reece completes his hat-trick. Unconverted. (Crusaders 69–26)

80 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: Seb Calder picks from the base of the ruck and crashes over for the 11th try of the night. Kemara misses. (Crusaders 74–26)

Full-time: Crusaders 69–26

Match report

There was never any need for histrionics or tearful speeches inside the Crusaders camp. The 14-year partnership between the club and the modest arena in Addington — a venue that was supposed to be a temporary solution after Lancaster Park was damaged beyond repair in the 2011 earthquakes — deserved a proper send-off. The Crusaders delivered emphatically, notching their 100th win at the ground where they have claimed four Super Rugby titles.

Codie Taylor, the popular hooker celebrating his 150th appearance, met his wife and three children on the grass before kick-off and was greeted by a haka from members of the Sydenham rugby club. What followed was a masterclass from the All Blacks veteran, who crossed four times in just 51 minutes to extend his career record to 53 tries — the most by any forward in Super Rugby history.

The onslaught began in the third minute. Chay Fihaki broke the line from an inside ball, drawing the final defender before captain Will Jordan threw a looping pass over the top for winger Sevu Reece to dot down in the corner. It was a clinical set-piece move that set the tone for a devastating opening quarter.

Leicester Fainga’anuku crossed shortly afterwards in the 10th minute after Jamie Hannah produced a slick backdoor offload that released Fletcher Newell into a massive hole. The All Blacks prop carried hard before the ball was shifted wide, with Fainga’anuku powering over in the corner despite attention from two defenders.

Taylor’s quick-fire double from the rolling maul had the Crusaders racing the clock. His first, in the 14th minute, was his 50th try for the club — a fitting milestone on such a special night. Four minutes later he was over again from another lineout drive, the Crusaders’ pack proving irresistible at close quarters.

The best five-pointer of the opening spell came in the 22nd minute when Fainga’anuku produced an excellent cross-kick from inside his own half. Reece timed his leap perfectly, grabbed the ball above the covering defender, and touched down inside the corner flag for his second. The hosts led 31–0 after just 23 minutes.

The Drua didn’t roll over to allow their bellies to be tickled. Lock Joseva Tamani powered over from close range in the 30th minute to get the visitors on the board, though Fihaki responded quickly with a try two minutes later after Jordan breached the defence and Antonio Shalfoon provided the final pass.

A yellow card to openside flanker Johnny Lee in the 34th minute was the only dour note for the Crusaders in the first half. No 8 Elia Canakaivata capitalised on the numerical advantage three minutes later, finishing off a driving maul as the Drua showed their own prowess in that area. Referee Paul Williams issued a warning to Jordan that he was tiring of the ill-discipline, though the Crusaders went into half-time 38–12 ahead.

Taylor made it three just 90 seconds into the second half, picking from the base of a ruck and burrowing over from close range. The hooker completed his haul before the 50-minute mark with a fourth try — this time after Fainga’anuku produced a spellbinding run through the heart of the Drua defence before offloading to his teammate. Replaced to a rousing reception shortly afterwards, Taylor smiled like a fellow who had just been given a sack of Bluff oysters and a truckload of crayfish for each five-pointer.

The Drua kept adding to the scoreboard. Canakaivata crossed for his second in the 44th minute after halfback Issak Fines-Leleiwasa made the initial break, and then former Crusader Manasa Mataele produced a stunning individual effort to score against his old club in the 53rd minute. The winger’s return to Christchurch was marked with a fitting five-pointer that drew warm applause from the home crowd.

Corey Kellow crashed over in the 58th minute after sustained pressure near the line, before Fihaki intercepted a loose pass two minutes later and raced away untouched to score his second. The bonus point was well and truly wrapped up with 20 minutes to go.

The final quarter was a tame affair as both sides emptied their benches. Reece completed his hat-trick in the 75th minute when a gap opened in the Drua defence, and replacement prop Seb Calder crashed over in the dying seconds for the 11th try of the night.

Taylor summed up the emotion of the evening in his post-match interview.

“To go out like that on this stadium, to get the job done and to pull this jersey on for the 150th time, I’m just so grateful. I love this team. I love this club,” Taylor said.

“I don’t think us as Crusaders can say how much you guys actually mean to us and how much you’re a big part of the success we’ve had over the years, so thank you. This has been a place of bringing the community together. A place of hope and love and we’re just glad we get to represent you guys every week putting on the red and black jersey.”

The result lifts the Crusaders to fourth on the standings with a 4–3 record. They will embark on a two-week Australian trip to face the Queensland Reds and Western Force before opening their new home at One NZ Stadium, Te Kaha, as part of Super Round against the NSW Waratahs on April 24.

Teams

Crusaders: 15 Will Jordan (c), 14 Chay Fihaki, 13 Leicester Fainga’anuku, 12 Dallas McLeod, 11 Sevu Reece, 10 Taha Kemara, 9 Louie Chapman, 8 Christian Lio-Willie, 7 Johnny Lee, 6 Corey Kellow, 5 Jamie Hannah, 4 Antonio Shalfoon, 3 Fletcher Newell, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 George Bower.
Replacements: 16 George Bell, 17 Jack Sexton, 18 Seb Calder, 19 Tahlor Cahill, 20 Dom Gardiner, 21 Mitch Drummond, 22 Rivez Reihana, 23 Braydon Ennor.

Fijian Drua: 15 Iliasia Droasese, 14 Joji Nasova, 13 Virimi Vakatawa, 12 Iosefo Namoce, 11 Manasa Mataele, 10 Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula, 9 Issak Fines-Leleiwasa, 8 Elia Canakaivata, 7 Kitione Salawa, 6 Etonia Waqa, 5 Isoa Nasilasila (c), 4 Joseva Tamani, 3 Mesake Doge, 2 Zuriel Togiatama, 1 Haereiti Hetet.
Replacements: 16 Sairusi Ravudi, 17 Emosi Tuqiri, 18 Peni Ravai, 19 Mesake Vocevoce, 20 Isoa Tuwai, 21 Phillip Baselala, 22 Kemu Valetini, 23 Isikeli Rabitu.

Match details

Crusaders 69 (Tries: Taylor 4, Reece 2, Fihaki 2, Fainga’anuku, Calder, Kellow; Conversions: Kemara 7/11)
Fijian Drua 26 (Tries: Canakaivata 2, Tamani, Mataele; Conversions: Armstrong-Ravula 3/4)
Half-time: 38–12

Venue: Apollo Projects Stadium, Christchurch
Referee: Paul Williams (NZ)

What’s next

The Crusaders travel to Australia for back-to-back matches against the Queensland Reds (Round 9) and Western Force (Round 10) before returning home to open One NZ Stadium, Te Kaha, as part of Super Round against the NSW Waratahs on April 24.

The Fijian Drua host the Highlanders in Suva in Round 9.