The Crusaders exacted brutal revenge for last year’s shock defeat, blowing Moana Pasifika off the park with a devastating second-half blitz that yielded five tries in 23 minutes and secured their first back-to-back wins of 2026.
Key moments
4′ – TRY CRUSADERS: Julian Savea stayed down after a heavy contact on his shoulder and left the field in his first match of 2026. From the resulting lineout turnover, George Bell tapped quickly and the ball was flicked out the back for Braydon Ennor, who carried multiple defenders over the line with him. Cooper Grant misses the conversion. (Moana Pasifika 0–5 Crusaders)
17′ – TRY CRUSADERS: Brilliant counter-attacking rugby from the visitors. Will Jordan injected himself into the line and offloaded, sparking a sweeping movement. Dallas McLeod drew the fullback and fired it to Sevu Reece on the wing, who streaked away to score under the posts. Grant converts for his first Super Rugby points. (Moana Pasifika 0–12 Crusaders)
21′ – TRY MOANA PASIFIKA: The hosts hit back after sustained pressure. Tevita Latu pierced through a gap before Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa and Tevita Ofa hammered away at the line. Captain Miracle Faiilagi drew two defenders and popped a ball inside to send Ofa strolling over. Patrick Pellegrini converts. (Moana Pasifika 7–12 Crusaders)
29′ – TRY MOANA PASIFIKA: The crowd erupts! Pellegrini spread it wide quickly, creating space for Lalomilo Lalomilo on the left edge. He burst through the first line of defence and drew the fullback perfectly, finding Joel Lam on the inside. The halfback showed great speed to streak away and score against his former team on his first start. Pellegrini converts. (Moana Pasifika 14–12 Crusaders)
34′ – TRY CRUSADERS: The visitors regain the lead. Patient build-up from the forwards laid the platform before Cooper Grant stabbed a cross kick to the right wing, putting it on the spot for Chay Fihaki to field on the full and dot down in the corner. Grant misses the conversion. (Moana Pasifika 14–17 Crusaders)
Half-time: Moana Pasifika 14–17 Crusaders. An entertaining first half played in perfect conditions with both sides willing to move the ball. The Crusaders struck early through Ennor and Reece but Moana hit back through Ofa and Lam to briefly take the lead. Fihaki’s try just before the break gave the visitors a narrow advantage heading into the sheds.
50′ – TRY CRUSADERS: Leicester Fainga’anuku lights the fuse! Off the lineout, Jordan countered dangerously to halfway. The ball was spread left and Fainga’anuku held it up before bursting through the defence from 45m out, slipping out of several tackles en route to a spectacular solo try. Fihaki converts. (Moana Pasifika 14–24 Crusaders)
53′ – TRY CRUSADERS: The floodgates open! Pellegrini’s kick was claimed by Noah Hotham, who burst away on the left. He kept it alive for McLeod, who offloaded to send Fletcher Newell streaking away. Newell popped it back to McLeod and he tore into the 22 before George Bell stormed forward off a pick-and-go, muscling over the line. Fihaki converts. (Moana Pasifika 14–31 Crusaders)
58′ – TRY CRUSADERS: Bell bags a brace! The Crusaders pack laid a brutal platform with Ethan Blackadder peeling off from the drive and going close. Fainga’anuku had a crack and went within inches before Bell picked and drove at pace, powering through two defenders to dot down in the corner. Fihaki converts. (Moana Pasifika 14–38 Crusaders)
63′ – TRY CRUSADERS: Kurtis MacDonald scores on debut! Xavier Saifoloi burst into space on the right wing before Fihaki floated a beautiful long-ball to the left, finding MacDonald in space. He stood the cover defence up with some slick footwork, strolling over to score down the flank. Fihaki converts. (Moana Pasifika 14–45 Crusaders)
73′ – TRY CRUSADERS: The visitors hit fifty! After nearly thirty phases of attack, the ball was released wide right and Fihaki slipped through two defenders to stride away and score his second down the edge. Fihaki misses the conversion. (Moana Pasifika 14–50 Crusaders)
77′ – TRY MOANA PASIFIKA: A consolation for the hosts. Off the scrum, Siaosi Nginingini read the play like a book, plucking the intercept clean out of the air and streaking away 40m to score. Pellegrini converts. (Moana Pasifika 21–50 Crusaders)
Full-time: Moana Pasifika 21–50 Crusaders
Match report
The Crusaders exacted brutal revenge for last year’s shock defeat, blowing Moana Pasifika off the park with a devastating second-half blitz that yielded five tries in 23 minutes and secured their first back-to-back wins of 2026.
Almost 12 months to the day since Moana stunned the rugby world with a 45–29 upset in Christchurch, the defending champions made a powerful statement of intent in Albany. What began as a tight, entertaining contest descended into one-way traffic after the break as the visitors’ superior depth and class proved too much for the cellar-dwellers.
The night began disastrously for the hosts when Julian Savea, making his first appearance of 2026 after a groin injury, left the field clutching his shoulder just four minutes in. It was an ominous sign of what was to come.
The Crusaders pounced immediately. From the resulting lineout turnover, hooker George Bell tapped quickly and flicked a pass out the back for Braydon Ennor, who showed tremendous strength to carry three defenders over the line with him.
When Will Jordan sparked a sweeping counter-attack that ended with Sevu Reece crossing for his 68th Super Rugby try to extend the lead to 12–0, Moana looked in danger of being swept away. But Tana Umaga’s men found their feet and roared back into the contest.
Tevita Ofa finished off sustained pressure following a powerful Tevita Latu break, before Joel Lam produced the moment of the first half. The halfback, playing against his former team on his first start for Moana, latched onto a brilliant Lalomilo Lalomilo break and showed electric pace to streak away and score. Patrick Pellegrini’s conversion gave the hosts a 14–12 lead and brought the Albany crowd to its feet.
The lead lasted just five minutes. Rookie fly-half Cooper Grant, making his first Super Rugby start in place of the injured Rivez Reihana and Taha Kemara, delivered a pinpoint cross-field kick that landed perfectly in Chay Fihaki’s waiting arms for an easy finish in the corner.
At 17–14 down at half-time, Moana had reasons for optimism. They had rattled the champions, their scrum was prospering, and No.8 Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa was a constant menace at the breakdown. But what followed after the interval was devastating.
Leicester Fainga’anuku lit the fuse five minutes into the second half. The All Black collected the ball 45 metres out and proceeded to weave through four defenders with a mesmerising display of footwork and power, leaving a trail of broken tackles in his wake.
From that point, the floodgates opened. Bell crashed over twice in five minutes from close range, his powerful carrying making him almost impossible to stop near the line. Debutant Kurtis MacDonald then finished off a beautiful Fihaki long-ball for a try with his first touch, before Fihaki himself completed a double after nearly 30 phases of relentless pressure.
The Crusaders had scored five tries in 23 minutes. The contest was over.
All Black prop Fletcher Newell, celebrating his 50th Crusaders appearance, produced a moment for the highlight reel when he punched through the line like a midfielder before recycling for Bell’s second try. Jordan was imperious at fullback throughout, his decisive carries at speed constantly putting Moana on the back foot.
“That was a tough battle out there, to be honest. I think you can see all the boys are feeling it,” captain Jordan told Sky Sport. “Moana are certainly a very physical side, and a proud side as well. It’s good for us to get our season back on track and I think the bye comes at a good time for us to freshen up.”
To their credit, Moana kept fighting until the end. Siaosi Nginingini grabbed a consolation intercept try in the 77th minute, reading Kyle Preston’s pass perfectly and racing 40 metres to the line as the crowd rose one final time.
The result leaves Moana anchored at the bottom of the table with just one win from six matches, their playoff hopes now virtually extinguished. Four of their five defeats have come by huge margins against New Zealand opposition.
The Crusaders, by contrast, climb back into the playoff positions at 3–3 and head into their bye week with momentum finally building. For a team missing 13 players including captain David Havili, the depth of their squad was telling.
Teams
Moana Pasifika: 15 William Havili, 14 Tevita Latu, 13 Lalomilo Lalomilo, 12 Julian Savea, 11 Glen Vaihu, 10 Patrick Pellegrini, 9 Joel Lam, 8 Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa, 7 Niko Jones, 6 Miracle Faiilagi (c), 5 Allan Craig, 4 Tom Savage, 3 Atu Moli, 2 Millennium Sanerivi, 1 Tito Tuipulotu.
Replacements: 16 Mamoru Harada, 17 Abraham Pole, 18 Chris Apoua, 19 Veikoso Poloniati, 20 Dominic Ropeti, 21 Siaosi Nginingini, 22 Jackson Garden-Bachop, 23 Tevita Ofa.
Crusaders: 15 Will Jordan (c), 14 Chay Fihaki, 13 Braydon Ennor, 12 Dallas McLeod, 11 Sevu Reece, 10 Cooper Grant, 9 Noah Hotham, 8 Christian Lio-Willie, 7 Johnny Lee, 6 Ethan Blackadder, 5 Jamie Hannah, 4 Tahlor Cahill, 3 Fletcher Newell, 2 George Bell, 1 Finlay Brewis.
Replacements: 16 Manumaua Leitu, 17 George Bower, 18 Seb Calder, 19 Antonio Shalfoon, 20 Xavier Saifoloi, 21 Kyle Preston, 22 Leicester Fainga’anuku, 23 Kurtis MacDonald.
Match details
Moana Pasifika 21 (Tries: Ofa 21′, Lam 29′, Nginingini 77′; Conversions: Pellegrini 3/3)
Crusaders 50 (Tries: Ennor 4′, Reece 17′, Fihaki 34′ 73′, Fainga’anuku 50′, Bell 53′ 58′, MacDonald 63′; Conversions: Grant 1/2, Fihaki 5/6)
Half-time: 14–17
Venue: North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
Referee: Angus Mabey (New Zealand)
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