The Crusaders claimed their first win of the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season with a compelling 43-33 victory over the Chiefs at FMG Stadium Waikato on Saturday evening, ending their worst start to a campaign in over a decade and exacting a measure of revenge for last year’s final defeat.

Key moments

5 mins – TRY CHIEFS: Quinn Tupaea opens the scoring. George Bell overthrows the lineout and Samisoni Taukei’aho claims before charging close to the line. The Chiefs hammer away under penalty advantage, and Tupaea pops up to crash over from the base of the ruck. Josh Jacomb converts. (Chiefs 7–0 Crusaders)

8 mins – TRY CHIEFS: Etene Nanai-Seturo finishes a stunning counter-attack. After Emoni Narawa pilfers a turnover inside the Chiefs’ in-goal, Leroy Carter beats three defenders to break out towards the 22 before getting an offload away. Jacomb and Xavier Roe link before finding Tupaea heading towards halfway. Josh Lord gallops upfield and one-hands a pass to a flying Nanai-Seturo on the left wing, who races 30m to score. Jacomb converts. (Chiefs 14–0 Crusaders)

19 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: George Bell crashes over from close range. The scrum wasn’t great, wheeling on the mark, but Dom Gardiner manages to secure possession. Bell then bursts through Simon Parker from 10m out and charges under the posts. Taha Kemara converts. (Chiefs 14–7 Crusaders)

22 mins – TRY CHIEFS: Samisoni Taukei’aho extends the lead. On the back of the pack’s work, Roe spies space around the fringes and gets an offload away to Taukei’aho. The hooker puts his head down and crashes over from close range. Jacomb converts. (Chiefs 21–7 Crusaders)

26 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: Noah Hotham finishes a brilliant set-piece move. Built off a stable scrum platform just inside their own half, Will Jordan takes the ball on the left edge and slices clean through, racing up into the 22 before finding David Havili back on the inside. He shovels on for Hotham for the simple finish. Kemara converts. (Chiefs 21–14 Crusaders)

29 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: Christian Lio-Willie powers over for his first. A huge scrum from the Crusaders earns a penalty advantage, and the forwards try their luck down a short side on the left. Lio-Willie powers over, and despite initially being ruled held up, the TMO spots a grounding. Kemara converts. (Chiefs 21–21 Crusaders)

40+2 mins – PENALTY CRUSADERS: Taha Kemara knocks over a 40m penalty after Jared Proffit is penalised for a tipping action. The Crusaders edge in front for the first time. (Chiefs 21–24 Crusaders)

Half-time: Chiefs 21–24 Crusaders. A cracking first-half contest that started with the Chiefs on fire and ended with the game simmering as the Crusaders’ comeback combined with flared tempers. The Chiefs led 14-0 early courtesy of a stunning counter-attack try, but the Crusaders, on the back of Will Jordan magic, came storming back. With their pack dominating at scrum time, they’ve got their noses in front.

52 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: Christian Lio-Willie doubles his tally. The scrum holds firm and Hotham clears, with Leicester Fainga’anuku having a crash back on the angle. Roe makes a good chop tackle, but the Chiefs are slow to arrive, allowing Lio-Willie to pick and crash through the middle. Kemara converts. (Chiefs 21–31 Crusaders)

58 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: David Havili finishes acrobatically in the corner. Daniel Rona contests illegally at the breakdown, and under advantage Jordan splits through the middle. He fires a wide pass to find Sevu Reece on the left wing, who chops back infield against the traffic. The cover rounds him up, but a flick pass finds Havili, who dives over in the corner. Kemara misses the conversion. (Chiefs 21–36 Crusaders)

67 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: Christian Lio-Willie completes his hat-trick! The Crusaders launch right off the scrum inside their own 22, with Kemara regathering his own kick ahead through Chay Fihaki. He bursts downfield before linking back on the inside with Kemara, who gets close before being dragged down. A crash from Tahlor Cahill gets close, before Lio-Willie picks and bursts through the ruck to score. Fihaki converts. (Chiefs 21–43 Crusaders)

70 mins – YELLOW CARD CRUSADERS: Noah Hotham is shown a yellow card for a late tackle on Narawa. The timing was marginal, but Hotham went on with the tackle to ensure Narawa came to ground.

73 mins – TRY CHIEFS: Tupou Vaa’i pulls one back. It’s untidy off the lineout, but Tupaea gets an arm free and sends Vaa’i clean up the middle. Vaa’i finds Luke Jacobson in support on his right, and while the skipper doesn’t have the pace, he gets the pass back to Vaa’i for the finish. Jacomb converts. (Chiefs 28–43 Crusaders)

79 mins – TRY CHIEFS: Emoni Narawa keeps hopes of a bonus point alive. On the back of a scrum win, the Chiefs hammer away with Samipeni Finau and Tupaea going close. Carter swings right, firing a long cutout pass to Narawa for the finish. Jacomb misses the conversion from out wide. (Chiefs 33–43 Crusaders)

80+1 mins – TRY-SAVING TACKLE: Carter makes a sensational bust from his own 22 and looks like he has the pace to run away and snatch the bonus point. However, Jordan comes from the clouds to make a magnificent cover tackle, and Carter spills the ball as he hits the deck a couple of metres short of the line!

Full-time: Chiefs 33–43 Crusaders

The Crusaders are back. After consecutive defeats to the Highlanders and Brumbies had left the defending champions staring at an unprecedented 0-3 start to their campaign, Rob Penney’s side produced a performance of genuine quality to down the Chiefs in a pulsating encounter at FMG Stadium Waikato.

It was Christian Lio-Willie who stole the headlines with a hat-trick of tries, but this was a victory built on forward dominance and the brilliance of Will Jordan, who terrorised the Chiefs’ defence throughout and produced one of the tackles of the season in the dying seconds to deny Leroy Carter what would have been a remarkable try.

The Chiefs had started like a house on fire. An errant Bell throw at the lineout gifted the hosts possession deep in Crusaders territory, and the home pack hammered away under penalty advantage. Tupaea, lurking at the base of the ruck, spotted his moment and crashed over from close range for the opening score.

What followed three minutes later was a contender for try of the season – a special 95-metre effort that had FMG Stadium Waikato rocking. Daniel Rona burst through the Crusaders defence inside the Chiefs’ in-goal, and when the ball found Carter, the former Sevens star needed no second invitation. He beat three defenders in a blistering 30-metre burst before getting an offload away just as the cover arrived. The ball moved through Jacomb, Roe and Tupaea before finding Lord thundering towards halfway. The lock produced a remarkable one-handed offload out to Nanai-Seturo on the left wing, and the fullback raced clear to complete what rugby.com.au described as “a contender for try of the year”. At 14-0 inside eight minutes, the Crusaders looked in serious trouble.

But this Crusaders side, for all their early-season struggles, refused to panic. They found their foothold through the forwards, winning a scrum close to the Chiefs’ line. The set-piece wheeled on the mark, but Dom Gardiner managed to secure possession. Bell, atoning for his earlier error, straightened from ten metres out and powered past a weak tackle from Parker to crash over under the posts. Kemara’s conversion cut the deficit to seven, and suddenly the visitors had momentum.

Taukei’aho restored the Chiefs’ 14-point advantage with a trademark close-range finish. The Chiefs’ pack secured a lineout, Parker punched into midfield, and Taukei’aho picked a sharp line on Roe’s shoulder before crashing over from close range. Jacomb’s third successful conversion made it 21-7, and the home crowd sensed a rout.

From there, the Crusaders mounted the comeback that defined the match. Building off a solid scrum just inside their own half, they launched a well-worked strike to the left. Jordan took the ball at pace, sliced clean through the Chiefs’ defensive line and raced into the 22. He found captain Havili running a classic inside support line, and Havili in turn freed Hotham to finish beside the posts. Kemara converted to reduce the deficit to seven.

Four minutes later, the scores were level. A dominant scrum on the Chiefs’ line earned a penalty advantage, and the forwards tried their luck down the short side. Lio-Willie drove hard, and although referee James Doleman initially ruled him held up, the TMO spotted the grounding. Kemara knocked over the extras to make it 21-21 – the Crusaders had scored 14 unanswered points and completely turned the match on its head.

A penalty from Kemara on the stroke of half-time gave the Crusaders a slender lead at the break, coming after Jared Proffit was penalised for a tipping action on Havili that sparked a heated confrontation. Tempers flared as both sets of players came together, with frustration bubbling over in what had become a ferociously physical contest. The manner of their comeback would have concerned Chiefs head coach Jono Gibbes – the Crusaders’ scrum had established dominance, winning multiple penalties, and that platform would prove decisive in the second half.

The Chiefs began the second spell determined to wrestle back control, but the Crusaders’ defence refused to budge. Carries from Jacobson, Tupaea and Nanai-Seturo were met with sharp line speed and strong contact, while Jordan and Fihaki defused high balls and kicked smartly for territory.

Lio-Willie added his second try seven minutes after the restart. The scrum held firm, Hotham cleared, and Leicester Fainga’anuku had a crash back on the angle. Roe made a good chop tackle, but the Chiefs were slow to arrive at the breakdown, allowing Lio-Willie to pick from the base and crash through the middle. Kemara converted to stretch the lead to 31-21.

The next Crusaders strike showcased Jordan’s influence again. With Daniel Rona penalised at the breakdown, they played under advantage. Jordan straightened, split the defence and fired a long ball to Reece on the left. Reece stepped back against the grain, drew the cover and released Havili on the outside. The captain finished acrobatically in the corner for the visitors’ sixth try, diving full stretch to ground the ball.

Arguably the best team movement of the match produced Lio-Willie’s hat-trick. Starting from a scrum inside their own 22, the Crusaders attacked down the right with Kemara putting a precise kick in behind. Fihaki gathered the rolling ball at pace, burst into the open field and linked back inside with Kemara, who was dragged down only metres short. Tahlor Cahill carried close, and when the defence splintered, Lio-Willie picked and powered through the ruck to complete his treble. Fihaki converted from wide on the right to push the visitors out to 43-21 with just over ten minutes remaining.

The Chiefs, to their credit, refused to fade. A yellow card to Hotham for a late tackle on Narawa provided the hosts with an opportunity, and they seized it. Vaa’i burst up the middle from a broken lineout, linked with Jacobson, and finished under the posts. Jacomb’s conversion narrowed it to 43-28.

They kept coming. From deep in their half, Tepaea Cook-Savage broke the line, and another attacking sequence saw Samipeni Finau and Tupaea hammer at the line. Carter swung right and fired a cutout pass to Narawa, who touched down in the corner to make it 43-33. Jacomb pushed the conversion wide, but FMG Stadium sensed a last-gasp bonus-point chance.

It almost arrived in spectacular fashion. Receiving a deep restart, the Chiefs launched from inside their 22, shifting left to put Carter into space. The speedster streaked clear over halfway and looked certain to go the distance, until Jordan arrived from nowhere. The All Blacks fullback chopped him down metres short and dislodged the ball, sealing the win and shutting down the Chiefs’ final chance to salvage anything. It was the moment that sealed the Crusaders’ first win of the season.

For the Crusaders, this was a statement of intent after a chastening fortnight. Their scrum dominated throughout, and Lio-Willie’s hat-trick was a timely reminder of the No.8’s quality. Jordan was outstanding in broken play, and Havili led from the front in midfield.

“For the past couple of weeks, we’ve been trying to see who the man in the mirror is and we came down here with that sort of mentality,” Lio-Willie said post-match. “It set us up well to come here and reveal our true character, and I think the boys showed it tonight.”

Jordan, meanwhile, was asked about his match-saving tackle on Carter, which came a week after his 28th birthday. “As an outside back, you never know when that speed is gonna come to an end, so it’s good to know I still got it,” he said with a smile.

Head coach Rob Penney was delighted with his side’s response after their 50-point capitulation against the Brumbies last week. “This was always going to be a bit of a turning point; we had to front,” he said. “We were up against a great side, probably the most consistent Super team through the preliminary games. I’m just rapt for the team. We’ve got a bunch of young boys coming through and that’s their first taste of what it’s like to be in that cauldron.”

For the Chiefs, there is work to do. They were brilliant early but faded badly as the Crusaders’ pack took control. The absence of Damian McKenzie was felt, and their scrum struggled throughout the second half.

“We let them off the hook a little bit,” head coach Jono Gibbes admitted. “Our accuracy levels were just a little bit off, and those inaccuracies in those zones in particular cost us.”

Captain Luke Jacobson echoed his coach’s assessment. “We came out, we played some really good footy to start with, probably the best we’ve played this season,” he said. “But we probably got into a little bit of push and shove, and then in the second half, we probably lost a little bit of our aggression. The Crusaders stayed at the good level and got the better of us.”

The result leaves the Chiefs with two wins from three, while the Crusaders finally have points on the board. Both sides will take plenty from this encounter, but it is the visitors who head home with the spoils in what could prove to be a pivotal moment in their season.

What’s next

The Chiefs host Moana Pasifika at FMG Stadium Waikato in Round 4, while the Crusaders travel to Auckland to face the Blues at Eden Park.

Teams

Chiefs: 15 Etene Nanai-Seturo, 14 Emoni Narawa, 13 Daniel Rona, 12 Quinn Tupaea, 11 Leroy Carter, 10 Josh Jacomb, 9 Xavier Roe, 8 Luke Jacobson (c), 7 Kaylum Boshier, 6 Simon Parker, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Josh Lord, 3 George Dyer, 2 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 1 Jared Proffit.
Replacements: 16 Tyrone Thompson, 17 Benet Kumeroa, 18 Reuben O’Neill, 19 Samipeni Finau, 20 Wallace Sititi, 21 Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, 22 Tepaea Cook-Savage, 23 Lalakai Foketi.

Crusaders: 15 Will Jordan, 14 Chay Fihaki, 13 Leicester Fainga’anuku, 12 David Havili (c), 11 Sevu Reece, 10 Taha Kemara, 9 Noah Hotham, 8 Christian Lio-Willie, 7 Ethan Blackadder, 6 Dom Gardiner, 5 Jamie Hannah, 4 Antonio Shalfoon, 3 Fletcher Newell, 2 George Bell, 1 Tamaiti Williams.
Replacements: 16 Manumaua Letiu, 17 George Bower, 18 Seb Calder, 19 Tahlor Cahill, 20 Corey Kellow, 21 Louie Chapman, 22 James White, 23 Dallas McLeod.

Match details

Chiefs 33 (Tries: Quinn Tupaea, Etene Nanai-Seturo, Samisoni Taukei’aho, Tupou Vaa’i, Emoni Narawa; Conversions: Josh Jacomb 4/5)
Crusaders 43 (Tries: George Bell, Noah Hotham, Christian Lio-Willie 3, David Havili; Conversions: Taha Kemara 5/6, Chay Fihaki 1/1; Penalties: Taha Kemara 1/1)
Half-time: 21–24

Venue: FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton
Referee: James Doleman (New Zealand)