The Highlanders kept their Super Rugby Pacific finals hopes alive with a dramatic 31–26 victory over the NSW Waratahs at Forsyth Barr Stadium, surviving a frantic late comeback after Caleb Tangitau’s electric return and Timoci Tavatavanawai’s match-winning turnover sealed a result that lifted the home side to seventh on the ladder.

Key moments

7 mins – TRY HIGHLANDERS: Mitch Dunshea claims the lineout and Lucas Casey carries in midfield. Timoci Tavatavanawai throws a nice offload for Cameron Millar inside the 22, before Tavatavanawai links again to find Caleb Tangitau, who breaks the line and dishes it to Jonah Lowe to score. Millar converts from in front. (Highlanders 7–0 Waratahs)

11 mins – TRY HIGHLANDERS: A huge scrum penalty gives the Highlanders position. Adam Lennox taps quickly and charges into the 22 before Tangitau picks from the back, barges through multiple Waratahs defenders and dives over for a brilliant individual try. Millar converts. (Highlanders 14–0 Waratahs)

19 mins – TRY HIGHLANDERS: Tavatavanawai carries powerfully from the lineout before Nikora Broughton charges forward. Millar fires the wide ball to Lowe, who flicks it inside for Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens to stroll in untouched. Millar converts from the left sideline. (Highlanders 21–0 Waratahs)

22 mins – YELLOW CARD HIGHLANDERS: Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii makes a half-break before Tavatavanawai is penalised for being off his feet at the ruck. Referee Damon Murphy deems it cynical and sends Tavatavanawai to the sin bin. Jack Debreczeni finds touch five metres out. (Highlanders down to 14)

23 mins – TRY WARATAHS: The Waratahs take immediate advantage of the extra man. Miles Amatosero claims the lineout, Angus Scott-Young carries in midfield, and Max Jorgensen fires it wide for Andrew Kellaway on the edge, who steps inside to score. Sid Harvey converts. (Highlanders 21–7 Waratahs)

30 mins – 50-22: Caleb Tangitau intercepts a Waratahs attack and delivers a superb 50-22 kick that trickles out on the five-metre line. Highlanders lineout 10 metres out.

35 mins – TRY HIGHLANDERS: After sustained pressure near the line, Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens throws the ball over the top for Lowe to pounce and score his second in the corner. TMO checks for a knock-on but the try stands. Millar converts from the left sideline. (Highlanders 28–7 Waratahs)

Half-time: Highlanders 28–7 Waratahs. A ruthless first-half statement from the Highlanders, built on forward dominance, the brilliance of Tangitau, and Tavatavanawai’s all-action involvement. The Waratahs responded through Kellaway during the yellow card period but were largely outclassed.

45 mins – TRY WARATAHS: Pete Samu claims the lineout and Suaalii breaks the line before being hauled down. Carter Gordon finds Apolosi Ranawai with the flat ball, and the replacement prop barges over for his debut Super Rugby Pacific try. Harvey’s conversion misses from wide. (Highlanders 28–12 Waratahs)

48 mins – TRY DISALLOWED: Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens appears to score his second after collecting a loose ball, but the TMO rules a clear knock-on from Jona Nareki in the build-up.

59 mins – RED CARD HIGHLANDERS: Tempers flare after Sid Harvey is tackled late. The TMO reviews a tackle by Jona Nareki, who made contact with his shoulder to the head of Jack Barrett. Initially shown yellow, it is upgraded to a 20-minute red card due to no mitigating factors. (Highlanders down to 14)

61 mins – HARVEY ERROR: Sid Harvey and Max Jorgensen combine brilliantly down the left, but Harvey drops the ball cold with the tryline at his mercy after gathering Jorgensen’s return pass.

65 mins – DEFENSIVE STAND: The Waratahs camp inside the Highlanders’ 22 but Tavatavanawai gets over the ball five metres out to win a crucial turnover penalty.

69 mins – TRY DISALLOWED: Suaalii breaks the line and feeds Harvey, who dots down in the corner, but Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens makes a superb last-ditch tackle to force Harvey into touch before grounding. The Waratahs tap from the penalty advantage.

70 mins – TRY DISALLOWED: Suaalii steps inside and scores, but the TMO finds a knock-on in the ruck in the build-up. The try is ruled out.

71 mins – TRY WARATAHS: Third time lucky. Clem Halaholo powers over from close range after sustained pressure. Harvey converts from in front. (Highlanders 28–19 Waratahs)

77 mins – MISSED PENALTY HIGHLANDERS: Cameron Millar’s penalty from 30 metres strikes the left upright. The Highlanders fail to extend their lead.

79 mins – TRY WARATAHS: A set-play lineout move puts Harvey through a hole off an Ethan Dobbins pass. He bursts through the defence untouched and swerves to score under the posts. Harvey converts. (Highlanders 28–26 Waratahs)

79 mins – PENALTY HIGHLANDERS: From the restart, Lawson Creighton claims on his 22. Angus Scott-Young carries on the short side but Tavatavanawai gets over the ball and wins the match-sealing turnover penalty. Millar slots from 25 metres to seal the victory. (Highlanders 31–26 Waratahs)

Full-time: Highlanders 31–26 Waratahs

Match report

The Highlanders’ season is not dead yet, but it very nearly died a dramatic death under the Forsyth Barr Stadium roof. Jamie Joseph’s side produced their best 40 minutes of the campaign in the opening spell before almost unravelling completely in a second half that saw them play 30 minutes of the match a man down and withstand a Waratahs comeback that brought the visitors to within two points with 90 seconds remaining.

In the end, it took a trademark Tavatavanawai turnover at the breakdown — the co-captain’s third crucial jackal of the evening — to allow Millar to seal the result from 25 metres and send a crowd of 14,346 home relieved rather than distraught. The victory lifted the Highlanders from ninth to seventh on 24 points, one behind sixth-placed Brumbies, but they face an enormous task ahead with the Chiefs and Hurricanes on the road in their final two regular-season fixtures.

The writing was on the wall for the Waratahs from the sixth minute. Tangitau, returning from two matches out with concussion, used his speed and footwork to evade Suaalii, who had rushed out of the defensive line and missed his man, before finding wing partner Lowe with a neat inside pass to open the scoring. It was a warning the visitors failed to heed.

Five minutes later, Tangitau did it all himself. Collecting the ball from the back of a ruck after Lennox’s quick tap from a scrum penalty, the All Blacks hopeful beat four Waratahs defenders — Angus Scott-Young, Pete Samu, Jake Gordon and Angus Blyth — to power over in one of the individual tries of the season. The Forsyth Barr crowd were on their feet, and the Waratahs were on their knees.

The punishment continued. Millar, arguably the best goal-kicking flyhalf in the competition, showed his playmaking ability with a gorgeous long ball to Lowe out wide, and the winger produced an equally deft offload to send Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens strolling in untouched. At 21–0 inside 20 minutes, the contest appeared over.

It was not. A controversial yellow card to Tavatavanawai for a cynical ruck infringement — his attempt to get over the ball in the wider channels deemed worthy of a card by referee Murphy — gave the Waratahs a lifeline. They capitalised immediately, with Suaalii and Jorgensen combining to put Kellaway over in the corner. Harvey’s conversion from the sideline made it 21–7 and the visitors had a pulse.

But Tangitau was not finished. His superb 50-22 kick, after intercepting a Waratahs attack just inside his own half, handed the Highlanders another attacking lineout deep in enemy territory. The home side’s scrum then bulldozed through the Australians once more, and the resulting pressure produced Lowe’s second in the corner after Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens spotted the space out wide and threw an offload for his winger to race onto. Millar’s touchline conversion sent the Highlanders to the sheds with a commanding 28–7 advantage.

The second half became a completely different contest. The Waratahs, presumably following a half-time spray from McKellar, came out with renewed intensity. Suaalii broke the line early and Ranawai barged over for a debut try off Gordon’s flat pass to make it 28–12. Small errors then began creeping into the Highlanders’ game. They were no longer clinical in attack, and the match exploded when Nareki was yellow-carded in the 59th minute for a shoulder to the head of replacement Barrett. The card was later upgraded to a 20-minute red after an off-field review found no mitigating factors, leaving the Highlanders with 14 men for the remainder.

From there, wave after wave of Waratahs pressure crashed down on the Highlanders’ line. Harvey dropped the ball cold with the tryline beckoning after a brilliant combination with Jorgensen. Suaalii then had a try ruled out by the TMO for a knock-on in the ruck, and Harvey was earlier forced into touch by a superb last-ditch tackle from Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens. Three near-misses in the space of five minutes — and the Highlanders’ defensive line somehow held.

It finally broke in the 71st minute when Halaholo powered over from close range. Harvey converted to make it 28–19, and the momentum was entirely with the Waratahs. Millar’s penalty attempt from 30 metres then struck the left upright, denying the Highlanders breathing space and setting up a grandstand finish.

Harvey provided it. A clinical set-play lineout move put the fullback through a hole off a Dobbins pass, and he burst through untouched to score under the posts. His conversion made it 28–26 with barely a minute remaining, and the stadium held its breath.

From the restart, Creighton claimed on his own 22 and Scott-Young carried on the short side. But there was Tavatavanawai — the man whose first-half yellow card had given the Waratahs life — standing over the ball at the breakdown, winning the penalty that allowed Millar to slot from 25 metres and send Forsyth Barr into celebration. It was a fitting end to a match of extraordinary swings, and a moment that may yet prove season-defining for both sides.

For the Waratahs, the defeat extends their wretched run across the Tasman to 13 consecutive losses in New Zealand. Dan McKellar’s side will almost certainly need to win their final three matches — away to the Drua, home to the Brumbies, and away to the Force — to have any chance of squeezing into the top six. On this evidence, that looks a tall order. A bewildered McKellar looked a beaten man in the coaching box as his side’s self-inflicted penalty count mounted throughout the evening.

The Highlanders, by contrast, head to Hamilton with renewed belief. Their scrum was dominant, their defence made more than 200 tackles, and in Tangitau they have a player whose All Blacks selection seems a matter of when, not if.

Match details

Highlanders 31 (Tries: Jonah Lowe 2, Caleb Tangitau, Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens; Conversions: Cameron Millar 4/4; Penalties: Millar 1/2)
Waratahs 26 (Tries: Andrew Kellaway, Apolosi Ranawai, Clem Halaholo, Sid Harvey; Conversions: Sid Harvey 3/4)
Half-time: 28–7

Venue: Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin
Attendance: 14,346
Referee: Damon Murphy (Australia)
Assistant Referees: Jordan Way, George Myers
TMO: James Leckie

Teams

Highlanders: 15 Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens, 14 Caleb Tangitau, 13 Jona Nareki, 12 Timoci Tavatavanawai (co-c), 11 Jonah Lowe, 10 Cameron Millar, 9 Adam Lennox, 8 Nikora Broughton, 7 Lucas Casey, 6 Te Kamaka Howden, 5 Mitch Dunshea, 4 Tomas Lavanini, 3 Angus Ta’avao, 2 Jack Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot (co-c).
Replacements: 16 Henry Bell, 17 Daniel Lienert-Brown, 18 Saula Ma’u, 19 Oliver Haig, 20 Sean Withy, 21 Folau Fakatava, 22 Taine Robinson, 23 Xavier Tito-Harris.

Waratahs: 15 Max Jorgensen, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, 12 Lawson Creighton, 11 Sid Harvey, 10 Jack Debreczeni, 9 Jake Gordon (c), 8 Pete Samu, 7 Charlie Gamble, 6 Angus Scott-Young, 5 Angus Blyth, 4 Miles Amatosero, 3 Dan Botha, 2 Ethan Dobbins, 1 Isaac Kailea.
Replacements: 16 Folau Fainga’a, 17 Jack Barrett, 18 Apolosi Ranawai, 19 Clem Halaholo, 20 Leafi Talataina, 21 Teddy Wilson, 22 Jack Bowen, 23 Harry Potter.

What’s next

The Highlanders travel to Hamilton to face the Chiefs next Saturday. The Waratahs head to Fiji to face the Fijian Drua.

The Chiefs moved to the top of the Super Rugby Pacific standings with a hard-fought 31–21 victory over the Queensland Reds at Suncorp Stadium, with Wallace Sititi and Samisoni Taukei’aho both scoring doubles in a bruising encounter that was decided in the final minutes.

Key moments

8 mins – TRY REDS: Hunter Paisami’s pop pass puts Harry McLaughlin-Phillips through a hole, and the flyhalf offloads out of contact to send Lachie Anderson into the corner. McLaughlin-Phillips converts from the right sideline. (Reds 7–0 Chiefs)

11 mins – TRY CHIEFS: The Chiefs stay patient after the Reds botch their restart near the 22. Josh Lord pops up short side and gallops through a hole, and quick ball sees Xavier Roe go back to the short side where Wallace Sititi crashes over. Damian McKenzie converts from wide. (Reds 7–7 Chiefs)

16 mins – MISSED PENALTY CHIEFS: Damian McKenzie pushes a 40-metre penalty well right of the posts after the Reds are penalised for offside. (Reds 7–7 Chiefs)

24 mins – MAUL TURNOVER: The Chiefs hammer away inside the Reds’ five after a lineout drive, but Fraser McReight and Seru Uru force the maul turnover to keep them out.

34 mins – TMO DENIES CHIEFS: Isaac Hutchinson slides over and is awarded the try, but the TMO spots a couple of bobbles in the lead-up and the try is disallowed. Back to the penalty. (Reds 7–7 Chiefs)

36 mins – PENALTY CHIEFS: Damian McKenzie slots the resulting penalty from in front. (Reds 7–10 Chiefs)

37 mins – BLOWN CHANCE: Kyle Brown drops the restart and Harry Wilson grabs it, but instead of backing himself for the line he throws a pass that is broken up. The Reds get the scrum feed 15 metres out but Zane Nonggorr pushes an unnecessary offload and it goes loose.

40+3 mins – HELD UP: Seru Uru appears to get over the line from close range after the Reds hammer away following a penalty, but the officials rule he is held up. The TMO confirms the on-field decision stands after viewing just one angle, with a subsequent replay appearing to show Uru had grounded the ball.

Half-time: Reds 7–10 Chiefs. A brutal, physical first half with the Chiefs leading by a McKenzie penalty. Both sides have had chances without nailing them, and the Reds’ lineout struggles have hampered their attacking platform.

51 mins – TRY CHIEFS: The Chiefs’ rolling maul proves unstoppable as Samisoni Taukei’aho steers it over from the back after multiple penalties draw the Reds offside near the line. McKenzie converts. (Reds 7–17 Chiefs)

53 mins – CLOSE CALL: Carter Gordon makes a brilliant break on his first touch, getting the Reds inside the Chiefs’ 22, but they are penalised five metres from the line for holding on.

58 mins – CHARGE DOWN: Louis Werchon’s high kick into the 22 is tipped down by the Chiefs, but Seru Uru charges down Xavier Roe’s clearance and regathers five metres out. However, Tupou Vaa’i jackals and wins the holding on penalty.

66 mins – TRY REDS: Brilliance from Harry Wilson. Josh Flook pokes through in midfield, then Carter Gordon lofts a cut-out pass to Wilson on the right wing. He charges into the 22 before flicking a no-look offload out the back to send Joe Brial diving into the corner. Werchon converts from wide. (Reds 14–17 Chiefs)

69 mins – YELLOW CARD REDS: Jeffery Toomaga-Allen is sent to the sin bin for a cynical foul at the breakdown, slapping the ball from the scrumhalf’s hands. (Reds down to 14)

70 mins – TRY CHIEFS: The Chiefs’ lineout drive is again unstoppable and Taukei’aho claims his second, steering the maul over from the back. McKenzie converts. (Reds 14–24 Chiefs)

74 mins – TRY REDS: Carter Gordon spots space wide on the left and whips a pass to debutant Treyvon Pritchard on the wing. He still has McKenzie to beat, but skips past the veteran on the outside to score his maiden Super Rugby Pacific try. Werchon converts from wide. (Reds 21–24 Chiefs)

79 mins – TRY CHIEFS: Sititi seals it with his second. The Chiefs win a penalty after Carter Gordon is caught inside his 22, opt for the scrum, and Sititi takes off the back. Louis Werchon barely lays a finger on him as he streaks away to dot down under the posts. McKenzie converts. (Reds 21–31 Chiefs)

Full-time: Reds 21–31 Chiefs

Match report

This was a match that rarely produced pretty rugby, but the Chiefs will not care one bit. In a gritty, physical encounter defined by untidy breakdowns, handling errors and sloppy lineouts, the visitors did just enough to grind out a result that sent them to the summit of the standings alongside the Hurricanes on 40 points, ahead on the first tiebreaker of wins with a 9–2 record and three regular-season matches remaining.

For the Reds, it was a night of frustration. The final penalty count read 12–5 against the Queenslanders, and there were contentious moments that left Les Kiss’s side feeling aggrieved — none more so than a held-up try ruling on Seru Uru just before half-time that appeared to be made after viewing just one unclear angle, with a subsequent replay showing the lock may well have grounded the ball. Reds players pointed at the big screen in an attempt to get the TMO to take another look, but their pleas fell on deaf ears.

The Reds started with intent, and winger Lachie Anderson — playing his comeback match from a dislocated wrist — struck early. Hunter Paisami’s pop pass released McLaughlin-Phillips through a hole, and the flyhalf rode the tackle before offloading to send Anderson over in the corner. McLaughlin-Phillips converted from the sideline for a 7–0 lead inside eight minutes.

The advantage lasted barely three minutes. Queensland’s failure to deal with the restart handed the Chiefs possession near the 22, and Josh Lord’s sharp break on the short side left the Reds scrambling and short of numbers. Quick ball allowed Roe to feed the short side, and Sititi crashed over for the first of his two tries. McKenzie levelled from the tee, and the contest settled into an arm wrestle.

The Reds’ lineout woes — a problem that had plagued them the previous week against the Brumbies — continued to undermine their attacking platform. They had lost three lineouts by the 29th minute, with Wallabies captain Harry Wilson yelling in frustration at his teammates. The Chiefs, by contrast, were controlled and patient. Lord was excellent in the tight exchanges, while loosehead Ollie Norris and tighthead George Dyer provided the grunt that allowed their loose forward trio of Luke Jacobson, Simon Parker and Sititi to dominate the collisions.

The Chiefs thought they had scored when fullback Isaac Hutchinson slid over in the 34th minute, but the TMO found multiple knock-ons in the build-up. The Suncorp crowd laughed as each fumble was replayed on the big screen, and McKenzie had to settle for three points from the resulting penalty. The Reds then squandered a golden opportunity when Brown dropped the restart and Wilson grabbed the ball 15 metres out, only to throw a pass rather than back himself for the line. A loose offload from Nonggorr from the resulting scrum compounded the error. Combined with the controversial Uru decision, the Reds headed to the sheds trailing 7–10 and wondering what might have been.

The Chiefs’ bench made the difference in the second half. Taukei’aho’s injection from the interchange provided the decisive firepower, the All Blacks hooker steering two rolling maul tries over from the back. His first, in the 51st minute, followed a series of penalties that drew the Reds offside near the line. His second, in the 70th minute, came moments after Toomaga-Allen was sin-binned for cynically slapping the ball from the scrumhalf’s hands, and appeared to put the result beyond doubt at 24–14.

Between Taukei’aho’s two scores, fit-again flyhalf Carter Gordon sparked a Reds fightback with a moment of individual brilliance. Gordon’s beautiful cut-out pass released Wilson on the right wing, and the Wallabies captain produced a stunning no-look flick pass out the back of his hand — reminiscent of Len Ikitau at his best — to send blindside flanker Brial diving into the corner. Werchon converted from wide to cut the deficit to three, and Suncorp roared back to life.

The Reds then landed another blow through teenage replacement Pritchard, who showed flashy footwork to beat McKenzie on the outside and score his maiden Super Rugby Pacific try. At 21–24 with five minutes remaining, the comeback was alive. But a late penalty against Flook for an incorrect entry at the breakdown proved to be the death knell. The Chiefs opted for the scrum against the 14-man Reds, demolished the Queensland pack, and Sititi waltzed over untouched from the base to seal the victory.

“It was a bit of a dogfight,” Chiefs captain Jacobson told Stan Sport. “It was pretty scrappy. We were really just trying to fight for momentum. The Reds are a gutsy team, they’re a tough team to beat here at home as well. Really pleased with how we’ve come out on top there.”

Reds captain McReight, after coach Kiss almost stopped him from fronting the media, bit his tongue on the officiating but left no doubt about his frustration. “There were some tough ones out there tonight for sure,” he told Stan. “I felt there were definitely some calls that could have gone both ways. I thought we dug in really well. It’s a tough one to swallow.”

The Chiefs’ defensive effort was equally impressive, missing just eight tackles to the Reds’ 32, with Sititi contributing 22 tackles and a turnover won to complement his two tries. Xavier Roe was arguably the best player on the park during his stint at halfback, providing tempo and direction before making way for Cortez Ratima.

The result drops Queensland to fifth on the ladder, a daunting 11 points adrift of the top three with just three rounds remaining. Their hopes of a home qualifying final are all but over. The Chiefs, meanwhile, head to Dunedin next week knowing they are firmly in the box seat for the minor premiership.

Match details

Reds 21 (Tries: Lachie Anderson, Joe Brial, Treyvon Pritchard; Conversions: Harry McLaughlin-Phillips 1/1, Louis Werchon 2/2)
Chiefs 31 (Tries: Wallace Sititi 2, Samisoni Taukei’aho 2; Conversions: Damian McKenzie 4/4; Penalties: McKenzie 1/2)
Half-time: 7–10

Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Referee: Marcus Playle (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Fraser Hannon, Dan Moore
TMO: Glenn Newman

Teams

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

Chiefs: 15 Isaac Hutchinson, 14 Kyren Taumoefolau, 13 Kyle Brown, 12 Quinn Tupaea, 11 Liam Coombes-Fabling, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 Xavier Roe, 8 Wallace Sititi, 7 Luke Jacobson (c), 6 Simon Parker, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Josh Lord, 3 George Dyer, 2 Tyrone Thompson, 1 Ollie Norris.
Replacements: 16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 Jared Proffit, 18 Sione Ahio, 19 Fiti Sa, 20 Seuseu Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Josh Jacomb, 23 Lalakai Foketi.

What’s next

The Reds host Moana Pasifika in Round 15 after the bye in Round 14. The Chiefs travel to Dunedin to face the Highlanders next Saturday.

Leicester Fainga’anuku produced one of the performances of the Super Rugby Pacific season as the Crusaders overpowered the Blues 36–20 at a sold-out One NZ Stadium, keeping their perfect record at their new home intact and re-igniting their title defence with a bonus-point victory.

Key moments

1 min – POOR START: Rivez Reihana’s opening kick-off fails to travel 10 metres. Blues scrum on halfway.

8 mins – PENALTY BLUES: Stephen Perofeta slots from in front after the Crusaders are penalised for offside. (Crusaders 0–3 Blues)

13 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: Jamie Hannah takes the lineout at the front and Leicester Fainga’anuku peels around to pop the ball inside for George Bower, who powers through Perofeta’s tackle to score in the corner on his 100th appearance. First Super Rugby try for the veteran prop. Reihana’s conversion strikes the left post. (Crusaders 5–3 Blues)

23 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: From a long restart, Christian Lio-Willie winds up from halfway before Fainga’anuku produces a delicate chip kick over the top. Sam Nock cannot gather cleanly and Jamie Hannah swoops on the favourable bounce to charge through and score. Reihana converts from the left. (Crusaders 12–3 Blues)

30 mins – WARNING: Referee Angus Gardner issues a team warning to the Blues for repeated penalty offences inside their own 22.

32 mins – TRY BLUES: Completely against the run of play. Antonio Shalfoon drops the ball cold from a lineout, Bradley Slater scoops up possession and the Blues shift right. Stephen Perofeta feeds AJ Lam, who bursts from inside his own 22 and goes the length of the field untouched for a stunning individual try. Perofeta cannot convert from wide. (Crusaders 12–8 Blues)

39 mins – TRY BLUES: After a sustained spell of patient phase play inside the Crusaders’ 22, Pita Ahki bumps through Noah Hotham and gets close to the line. Sam Nock spots the gap and darts over from the base of the ruck on the short side. Perofeta is timed out on his conversion attempt — the kick is ruled out. (Crusaders 12–13 Blues)

Half-time: Crusaders 12–13 Blues. The Crusaders dominated the opening 30 minutes with Fainga’anuku at the heart of everything, but two late Blues tries — Lam’s length-of-the-field stunner and Nock’s opportunistic snipe — turned the scoreboard on its head. The Blues head to the sheds with a narrow lead they barely deserved.

45 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: Codie Taylor breaks away from a lineout drive and gets within inches of the line. Next phase, Rivez Reihana shows outside, steps past Caleb Clarke and dives in under the posts. Reihana converts. (Crusaders 19–13 Blues)

51 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: George Bell breaks downfield on the right before Macca Springer charges to within five metres. Springer pops off the ground to Tahlor Cahill, and Kyle Preston finishes it off, diving into the corner on the short side. Reihana cannot convert from wide on the left. (Crusaders 24–13 Blues)

60 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: Fainga’anuku magic again. An offload from Reihana gets Johnny McNicholl into the 22, with Fainga’anuku arriving at the breakdown to play halfback. He spots space on the right wing and stabs a perfectly weighted grubber kick for Sevu Reece, who wins the race to gather and score. Reihana converts from wide. (Crusaders 31–13 Blues)

67 mins – RED CARD CRUSADERS: Kurtis MacDonald contests a high ball recklessly and tips Stephen Perofeta dangerously, with the Blues flyhalf landing on his head and shoulder. Initially shown a yellow card, it is upgraded to red after an off-field review.

69 mins – YELLOW CARD CRUSADERS: Caleb Clarke scorches down the left flank and skins McNicholl before being hauled down by the cover. Jack Sexton then infringes cynically at the ruck and is sent to the sin bin. Crusaders down to 13 men.

69 mins – TRY BLUES: The Blues tap quickly and hammer at the line. Hoskins Sotutu muscles his way over from close range. Beauden Barrett converts from the left. (Crusaders 31–20 Blues)

71 mins – PENALTY CRUSADERS: With a two-man advantage, the Blues are penalised for obstruction at the ruck as Laghlan McWhannell illegally impedes Fainga’anuku. The Crusaders kick to the corner.

77 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: After a long, patient spell of close-range attack, George Bell burrows over from the base of a ruck. Cooper Grant cannot convert from wide on the right. (Crusaders 36–20 Blues)

Full-time: Crusaders 36–20 Blues

Match report

Different battleground, same result. The iconic Crusaders horses made their grand return to usher in a new era at One NZ Stadium, and what followed was achingly familiar for the Blues — their 20th defeat from 21 visits to Christchurch to face these opponents. If the Blues had hoped the end of the old Addington fortress might bring brighter days in the Garden City, they were sorely mistaken.

The 25,000-strong crowd inside Te Kaha were treated to a display that underlined why the Crusaders remain the most dangerous team in the competition when the pressure is on. At the centre of it all was Fainga’anuku, the converted back turned openside flanker, who produced a performance reminiscent of Ardie Savea’s herculean effort for Moana Pasifika against the same opposition in 2025. In his third start wearing the No.7 jersey, the blockbusting hybrid had a hand in three of the Crusaders’ six tries, snared two breakdown turnovers, made a rampaging 30-metre burst through the tackle of Hoskins Sotutu, and showed off skills with the boot that belied his position on the teamsheet.

Both sides endured a shambolic opening. Reihana’s kick-off failed to travel 10 metres, handing the Blues a scrum on halfway, only for fullback Zarn Sullivan to immediately return the favour by kicking out on the full. The error-riddled start set the tone for a contest that ebbed and flowed, but the Crusaders gradually seized control through the relentless work of their pack. The Blues conceded a string of penalties inside their own 22, with Fainga’anuku winning two crucial turnovers at the breakdown, and were fortunate to trail by only three points after Perofeta opened the scoring with a penalty in the eighth minute.

The Crusaders eventually made their dominance count through a set piece designed specifically for the centurion. Hannah took the lineout at the front, with Fainga’anuku peeling around the short side before popping the ball inside for the charging Bower. The veteran loosehead powered through Perofeta’s tackle to dot down in the corner — his first try in 100 Super Rugby appearances. Bower’s face said it all as he grinned ear to ear and raised a finger to the crowd.

Fainga’anuku then dipped into his bag of tricks for the Crusaders’ second. Taking the ball at first receiver, the hybrid uncorked a left-footed chip kick over the top of the Blues’ defensive line. Nock could not gather cleanly inside his own 22, and Hannah — scoring his first try as well — swooped on the favourable bounce to stride away and extend the lead to 12–3. With the Blues under a team warning for penalty concessions, the Crusaders looked set to bury the contest before half-time.

Instead, two moments of self-inflicted damage turned the half on its head. Lock Shalfoon spilled a regulation pass inside Blues territory, and the visitors punished the error ruthlessly. Slater scooped up the loose ball, Perofeta fed Lam on the right edge, and the centre produced a mesmerising run from inside his own 22, evading converging defenders before racing close to 70 metres untouched for one of the tries of the season. Then, after a pinpoint Perofeta kick in behind forced a five-metre scrum, Nock spotted the Crusaders defence napping and sniped over from the base to hand the Blues an unlikely 13–12 lead at the break. Perofeta’s conversion attempt was timed out — a moment that would prove costly.

The Crusaders coach Rob Penney had spoken during the week about his side building towards the business end of the season, and his players responded emphatically after the interval. Within five minutes of the restart, Reihana restored the lead with a moment of individual brilliance. After Taylor broke away from a lineout drive and got within inches of the line, the ball came to Reihana, who showed outside, threw a dummy that wrong-footed Clarke, and stepped through untouched to score under the posts.

Replacement halfback Preston then made an immediate impact off the bench. Bell sparked the counter-attack with a big break down the right, Springer charged to within five metres before popping off the ground to Cahill, and Preston finished the job by diving into the corner on the short side. At 24–13, the Blues were already struggling to stem the tide.

Fainga’anuku’s pièce de résistance arrived in the 60th minute. An offload from Reihana got McNicholl into the 22, and Fainga’anuku — arriving at the breakdown from his roaming position — played halfback, spotted the space on the right wing, and stabbed a perfectly weighted grubber along the carpet for his former wing partner Reece. Super Rugby’s all-time leading try scorer won the race to gather and add to his career tally, stretching the lead to 31–13 and seemingly ending the contest.

The final quarter, however, provided late drama. Replacement back MacDonald was shown a red card — upgraded from yellow after an off-field review — for a dangerous contest in the air that left Perofeta landing on his head and shoulder. Two minutes later, Sexton received a yellow for a cynical infringement after Clarke had scorched down the left touchline, leaving the Crusaders with just 13 players on the field. Sotutu muscled over from close range and Barrett converted, cutting the deficit to 31–20, but the Blues’ ill-discipline cost them any real chance of a miracle comeback. With a two-man advantage, McWhannell was penalised for obstructing Fainga’anuku at the ruck, handing the Crusaders a lifeline they did not squander. Bell eventually burrowed over from close range to seal the bonus point and the victory.

Now 6–6 and at least temporarily in fourth place on the ladder, the Crusaders head into their bye week knowing they will return inside the top six. For a side that entered the round with their playoff position under threat from the Highlanders, Waratahs and Drua lurking seven points behind, this was a statement result. Their final two regular-season matches — against the Chiefs and Hurricanes at home — will define whether the defending champions can mount a genuine title defence.

For the Blues, this is one to forget. They lost Dalton Papali’i early to a jaw issue, their pack struggled to match the Crusaders’ physicality, and they spent long periods on the back foot. There were bright moments from Nock, Clarke and Lam, but overall they were outplayed in a fixture that has haunted them for the best part of three decades. With the Hurricanes next up and the Highlanders to follow, Vern Cotter’s side will need a significant improvement if they are to secure the minor premiership and a home semi-final.

Match details

Crusaders 36 (Tries: George Bower, Jamie Hannah, Rivez Reihana, Kyle Preston, Sevu Reece, George Bell; Conversions: Reihana 3/6)
Blues 20 (Tries: AJ Lam, Sam Nock, Hoskins Sotutu; Penalties: Stephen Perofeta 1/1; Conversions: Perofeta 0/2, Beauden Barrett 1/1)
Half-time: 12–13

Venue: One NZ Stadium, Christchurch
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant Referees: George Myers, Matt Kellahan
TMO: Graham Cooper

Teams

Crusaders: 15 Johnny McNicholl, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Dallas McLeod, 12 David Havili (c), 11 Macca Springer, 10 Rivez Reihana, 9 Noah Hotham, 8 Christian Lio-Willie, 7 Leicester Fainga’anuku, 6 Ethan Blackadder, 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 Kyle Preston, 22 Cooper Grant, 23 Kurtis MacDonald.

Blues: 15 Zarn Sullivan, 14 Kade Banks, 13 AJ Lam, 12 Pita Ahki, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Stephen Perofeta, 9 Sam Nock, 8 Hoskins Sotutu, 7 Dalton Papali’i, 6 Malachi Wrampling, 5 Sam Darry, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu (c), 3 Sam Matenga, 2 Bradley Slater, 1 Ofa Tu’ungafasi.
Replacements: 16 James Mullan, 17 Mason Tupaea, 18 Flyn Yates, 19 Laghlan McWhannell, 20 Anton Segner, 21 Finlay Christie, 22 Beauden Barrett, 23 Xavi Taele.

What’s next

The Crusaders enjoy the bye in Round 14 before hosting the Chiefs in Round 15. The Blues travel to Auckland to face the Hurricanes next Friday night.