The NSW Waratahs have confirmed that attack coach Mike Catt has left the club by mutual consent following the conclusion of the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season.

• Catt joined the Waratahs in 2024 ahead of the 2025 season
• The former England international oversaw two eighth-placed finishes in Super Rugby Pacific
• He departs with immediate effect and the search for his replacement is under way
• Head coach Dan McKellar remains committed to the role heading into 2027

The 2003 Rugby World Cup winner arrived in Sydney after leaving his position as Ireland’s attack coach, joining a revamped coaching setup alongside head coach Dan McKellar and fellow assistants Lachlan McCaffrey and Dan Palmer.

Across his two campaigns with the club, the 75-Test England international helped improve the Waratahs’ points-scoring output, but the results column told a less encouraging story – the team finished eighth in the Super Rugby Pacific standings in both 2025 and 2026.

The Waratahs’ Director of High Performance, B-J Mather, acknowledged Catt’s contribution and wished him well.

“Mike has made a significant contribution to the Waratahs since joining and on behalf of everyone at the club, I would like to thank him for his efforts and professionalism during this time,” Mather said.

“He has not only brought extensive international experience, but also a strong commitment to helping both players and coaches improve at the Waratahs.

“We wish Mike well in the next chapter of his coaching career and wish him and his family all the best for the future.”

Catt’s departure adds further scrutiny to the Waratahs’ coaching setup after another season that fell short of expectations. The club’s most recent outing ended in a 31–25 defeat to the Western Force, capping a campaign that never gained the momentum needed to challenge for a finals berth.

McKellar, however, struck a defiant tone when addressing his own future at the club last week.

“You’ve just got to roll with the punches,” McKellar said. “Times like this make the good times feel even better, and they’ll come. We’ve got a group here that are buying into what we want to do. Nothing changes from my end.

“I’m in this for the long haul, and we’ll enjoy a beer together and reflect on the season, and then I’ll quickly get to work around turning things around for ’27.”

The process to appoint Catt’s successor is under way.

The Chiefs surged into a home semi-final against the Crusaders after overpowering the Queensland Reds 46–24 in wet and wild conditions at FMG Stadium Waikato, with Damian McKenzie marking his return from concussion with two tries and a 21-point haul. But the victory was overshadowed by distressing scenes involving Wallace Sititi, who was taken to hospital after a sickening head knock in the 17th minute. The result extended the Australian finals drought in New Zealand to 0-from-23 and ended Les Kiss’s tenure as Reds head coach before he takes the Wallabies reins.

Key moments

1 min – SCRUM CHIEFS: Jock Campbell put the kick-off out on the full in the wet conditions, handing the Chiefs a scrum on halfway. They worked inside the Reds half and forced an offside penalty.

3 mins – PENALTY CHIEFS: Damian McKenzie slotted the penalty from 25 metres out in front after Aidan Ross was penalised for offside. (Chiefs 3–0)

6 mins – TRY REDS: Under advantage, the Reds kept it patient going one off before Tate McDermott charged through the five-metre line. He was taken just a metre short before Lukhan Salakaia-Loto went back against the grain and drove over down the left edge. Carter Gordon converted. (Chiefs 3–7)

8 mins – TRY CHIEFS: The Reds set it just outside the 22 off the kick-off before McDermott box-kicked high. Lachie Anderson slapped it back on the 10, but it fell to Cortez Ratima, who streaked off into the 22. He offloaded to Josh Lord, who flopped past the five-metre line, and Kyren Taumoefolau then phased left, driving over in the corner. McKenzie’s conversion missed. (Chiefs 8–7)

17 mins – INJURY/YELLOW CARD: Wallace Sititi went down in distressing scenes after a high collision with Lukhan Salakaia-Loto while picking and driving. Sititi appeared to convulse on the ground and was attended to by medical staff before eventually standing. The medicart was called. Salakaia-Loto was shown a yellow card, which remained yellow after review due to Sititi dipping into the contact, with the TMO ruling the major injury was caused by a subsequent head clash with team-mate Sione Ahio. Samipeni Finau replaced Sititi, who was later transported to hospital.

19 mins – TRY CHIEFS: With Salakaia-Loto in the bin, Taukei’aho found Lord and the Chiefs went straight to the drive. It rumbled immediately and there was no stopping it, with Samisoni Taukei’aho driven over for another maul try. McKenzie converted from in front. (Chiefs 15–7)

27 mins – TRY REDS: Josh Nasser went close before Harry Wilson and Fraser McReight were stopped a metre away. It then opened up for Aidan Ross, who squeezed over against his former side. Gordon converted. (Chiefs 15–14)

32 mins – YELLOW CARD CHIEFS: Kyle Brown was shown a yellow card for a head-on-head tackle on Josh Flook, who departed for an HIA and was replaced by Treyvon Pritchard. The card remained yellow after review due to mitigation.

35 mins – PENALTY REDS: The Reds kept the ball off the lineout and forced Taukei’aho offside. Gordon drilled over the penalty from 30 metres in front to put the visitors ahead. (Chiefs 15–17)

40 mins – TRY CHIEFS: Quinn Tupaea slipped away to the five-metre line before it spat out for Tupou Vaa’i. He launched forward and was stopped just a metre out. Taumoefolau followed, driving over low and hard down the left edge for his second. McKenzie converted from left of the posts. (Chiefs 22–17)

Half-time: Chiefs 22–17 Reds. A frenetic, stop-start first half played at nearly a point a minute. The Reds competed well and briefly led through Gordon’s penalty, but Taumoefolau’s try on the stroke of half-time restored the Chiefs’ advantage. Sititi’s distressing injury overshadowed the contest, while yellow cards to Salakaia-Loto and Brown added to the chaos. Taukei’aho was superb at the set piece, with Vaa’i prominent in the tight exchanges.

47 mins – TRY CHIEFS: The Chiefs won a penalty near the line. The Reds defence held out and forced a knock-on, but there was advantage, so the defence was not yet able to reset — but they switched off. McKenzie spotted the opportunity, tapped and launched himself over beside the posts. McKenzie converted. (Chiefs 29–17)

54 mins – HELD UP: After 28 phases hammering at the Chiefs’ line, the ball spat out and Finau knocked on trying to fly through on it. The Reds had been agonisingly close but could not breach the home defence.

56 mins – HELD UP: Treyvon Pritchard dived for the line but was bundled into touch in the corner by at least five Chiefs defenders. Superb scramble defence from the hosts.

66 mins – TRY CHIEFS: Luke Jacobson won the lineout at the tail, and Brodie McAlister went to the drive before breaking off after it split to the five-metre line. Tupaea worked wider, firing to McKenzie, who flew over beside the posts for his second. McKenzie converted. (Chiefs 36–17)

69 mins – TRY REDS: Matt Faessler nailed his lineout throw, hooked onto the maul and remained patient. He drove low, spinning around the right, before powering over behind the bodies. Gordon converted. (Chiefs 36–24)

73 mins – PENALTY CHIEFS: Finau won the lineout at the front and the Reds slowed the ball illegally, giving up a penalty for not rolling. McKenzie slotted from 30 metres on the left. (Chiefs 39–24)

79 mins – TRY CHIEFS: McKenzie ripped a flick pass into the midfield, finding Isaac Hutchinson 40 metres out. The fullback flew at the line, split the gap, then hit a step to beat Kalani Thomas and speed in under the posts. McKenzie converted. (Chiefs 46–24)

Full-time: Chiefs 46–24 Reds

Match report

The score line did not tell the full story. For 60 minutes this was a contest, and at times a genuinely compelling one, played out in torrential rain and fading light in front of a packed FMG Stadium Waikato. The Reds came to Hamilton with nothing to lose and played accordingly, competing at the breakdown through their outstanding captain Fraser McReight, finding joy through McDermott’s sharpness around the ruck, and even hitting the front midway through the first half. It took the Chiefs’ superior depth, set-piece dominance and McKenzie’s ice-cold game management to pull away in the final quarter and turn a gutsy contest into a flattering scoreline.

The evening began badly for the visitors when Campbell put the opening kick-off out on the full, and McKenzie duly slotted the penalty after Ross was caught offside. But the Reds responded with character. McDermott charged through the five-metre line before Salakaia-Loto drove over for the opening try in the sixth minute, sparked by a McReight linebreak that nearly came unstuck but somehow survived. The Chiefs were level within two minutes when a McDermott box kick was knocked back into the arms of Ratima, who streaked into the 22, and Taumoefolau crashed over in the corner a couple of phases later.

The match was then stopped for the incident that cast the longest shadow over proceedings. Sititi went to pick and drive in the 17th minute and was hit high by Salakaia-Loto, before almost instantly suffering a second head knock in a collision with team-mate Ahio. The 23-year-old was on the ground for several minutes and appeared very groggy as medical staff helped him to his feet and onto the medicart. He was later transported to hospital. Salakaia-Loto was shown a yellow card, which was not upgraded to red after the TMO ruled the major injury was caused by the accidental head clash rather than the initial tackle. Finau replaced Sititi, who is almost certainly out for the remainder of the season.

The Chiefs took only two minutes to exploit the numerical advantage, Taukei’aho driven over off a powerful rolling maul that rumbled from the moment Lord took the lineout ball. But even with Salakaia-Loto in the bin, the Reds refused to wilt. McReight won a crucial turnover that set up field position, and Ross burrowed over against his former club — the prop played 101 games for the Chiefs before joining Queensland — to bring the visitors within a point at 15–14. When Brown was shown a yellow card for a head-on-head tackle on Flook in the 32nd minute, Gordon slotted the resulting penalty to put the Reds ahead at 17–15.

It was the high-water mark of Kiss’s final game. The Chiefs reasserted themselves with a period of sustained pressure that ended with Taumoefolau driving over for his second on the stroke of half-time, after Tupaea and Vaa’i had carried powerfully to within a metre of the line. McKenzie’s conversion from the left made it 22–17 at the break — a margin that hardly reflected the intensity of a frenetic first 40 minutes.

The second half was where the Chiefs’ class told. McKenzie caught the Reds napping just two minutes in, spotting defenders who had switched off after forcing a knock-on under advantage and tapping a penalty to launch himself over beside the posts. His conversion pushed the lead to 29–17, and from there the Reds were chasing the game.

They came agonisingly close twice. After 28 phases hammering at the Chiefs’ line in the 54th minute, the ball spat out and Finau knocked on trying to fly through on it. Two minutes later Pritchard dived for the corner only to be bundled into touch by at least five Chiefs defenders in a superb piece of scramble defence. Those were the moments that defined the contest — the Reds had the will but not quite the composure to capitalise.

McKenzie’s second try in the 66th minute, after Jacobson had won the lineout at the tail and the maul had split to the five-metre line, effectively ended the contest. Tupaea worked it wider and fired to McKenzie, who flew over beside the posts. Faessler wrestled one back for the Reds off a patient rolling maul, but McKenzie added a penalty before Hutchinson sealed the result with the try of the night — collecting a miracle backhand flick pass from McKenzie 40 metres out, splitting the gap, stepping Thomas and speeding in under the posts.

“The Reds are a quality side and we’ve had many battles against them in the past in play-offs and we knew they were going to come out firing and they did exactly that,” McKenzie told Stan Sport. “We had to prepare really well this week and I thought we did a great job at that and I’m proud of our boys’ ability in sticking to our guns.”

Captain Luke Jacobson said the team had shown composure when it mattered. “That’s a gutsy Reds team and it was a gutsy game,” he told Sky Sport. “There were a lot of moments back and forth, particularly in that first 60 [minutes], pretty stop-and-start game but really pleased with the composure of our lads to stay on the task. Some huge effort plays in there that I thought really showed up in the back sort of 15 minutes and we were able to get the rewards from it.”

Jacobson was already looking ahead. “No jitters here. [We’re] very excited. It’s always an awesome game, Chiefs versus the Crusaders,” he said. “Just really stoked it’s here at home in front of our fans, who were awesome tonight. We’re going to need you all next week so looking forward to coming to a packed out FMG Stadium.”

Kiss, who will now begin preparations to take over as Wallabies coach from Joe Schmidt, was philosophical about the result. “You’ve got to recognise the Kiwi teams have been in pretty good form most of the year, we’ve certainly been improving week on week, and we went hammer and tong today,” he said. “I think the comp is still in a good place, that wasn’t easy for the Chiefs tonight. We felt we pushed it, and fair play in that second half they pushed it well. I’m optimistic about the comp, I wouldn’t say anything negative.”

McReight, who played his 100th game for Queensland, refused to let the result diminish what the Reds had achieved. “You look at how close the comp is, if we get one more win we’re tied with the Crusaders and we probably finish third, and that’s the reality of it and how close the comp is,” the skipper said. “I think you can’t look at just we finished fifth and had another quarterfinal exit. We left everything out there, and we fought.”

“It was a dog fight, as a forward that’s what you love,” McReight added. “There were some errors where we probably just didn’t grab it when it was right in front of us.”

McDermott, playing just his third match this season after surgery on a severely torn hamstring, was sharp around the ruck throughout. “I would have loved to have done more for the side, but it’s good to be back,” he told Stan Sport. “We’re all pretty gutted and lost for words a little bit because we had that game, and we just let go of the rope a little bit too many times.”

Ratima was excellent in everything he did for the Chiefs, while Taukei’aho was dominant in contact. Hutchinson capped an impressive display with his late try, and Daugunu — the best of the Reds’ backs in an unfamiliar role at inside centre — put in a massive shift but did not get as much ball as he deserved.

Teams

Chiefs: 15 Isaac Hutchinson, 14 Daniel Sinkinson, 13 Kyle Brown, 12 Quinn Tupaea (vc), 11 Kyren Taumoefolau, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 Cortez Ratima, 8 Wallace Sititi, 7 Luke Jacobson (c), 6 Simon Parker, 5 Tupou Vaa’i (vc), 4 Josh Lord, 3 Sione Ahio, 2 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 1 Ollie Norris.
Replacements: 16 Brodie McAlister, 17 Jared Proffit, 18 George Dyer, 19 Seuseu Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 20 Samipeni Finau, 21 Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, 22 Josh Jacomb, 23 Lalakai Foketi.

Reds: 15 Jock Campbell, 14 Lachie Anderson, 13 Josh Flook, 12 Filipo Daugunu, 11 Tim Ryan, 10 Carter Gordon, 9 Tate McDermott, 8 Harry Wilson, 7 Fraser McReight (c), 6 Joe Brial, 5 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 4 Josh Canham, 3 Zane Nonggorr, 2 Josh Nasser, 1 Aidan Ross.
Replacements: 16 Matt Faessler, 17 George Blake, 18 Massimo De Lutiis, 19 Hamish Muller, 20 Vaiuta Latu, 21 Kalani Thomas, 22 Ben Volavola, 23 Treyvon Pritchard.

Match details

Chiefs 46 (Tries: Taumoefolau 8’ 40’, Taukei’aho 19’, McKenzie 47’ 66’, Hutchinson 79’; Conversions: McKenzie 5/6; Penalties: McKenzie 2/2)
Reds 24 (Tries: Salakaia-Loto 6’, Ross 27’, Faessler 69’; Conversions: Gordon 3/3; Penalties: Gordon 1/1)
Half-time: 22–17
Yellow cards: Salakaia-Loto 17’ (Reds — high tackle on Sititi), Brown 32’ (Chiefs — head-on-head on Flook)

Venue: FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton
Referee: James Doleman (New Zealand). Assistant referees: Marcus Playle, Fraser Hannon. TMO: Glenn Newman.

What’s next

The semi-finals are confirmed as all-New Zealand affairs. The Chiefs will host the Crusaders at FMG Stadium Waikato on Friday 12 June (7.05pm NZST), in a rematch of last year’s grand final. The Hurricanes will host the Blues at Hnry Stadium on Saturday 13 June (7.05pm NZST), with the fourth-seeded Blues advancing as the lucky loser despite four consecutive defeats.

The Crusaders extended their extraordinary unbeaten home playoff record to 33 matches, overpowering the Blues 52–31 in a high-scoring qualifying final at a sold-out One NZ Stadium. Fullback Johnny McNicholl ran in a hat-trick, captain David Havili produced another commanding display in the midfield, and a 20-minute red card to Blues number eight Malachi Wrampling for a high tackle on Leicester Fainga’anuku proved the decisive turning point as the defending champions ran in eight tries to five.

Key moments

3 mins – TRY BLUES: The Blues went deep into the lineout where Malachi Wrampling collected and fired an inside pass to AJ Lam, who sliced into a hole before dishing a short pass to Sam Nock, who brought it around to score just to the right of the posts. Zarn Sullivan converted. (Crusaders 0–7)

9 mins – 50/22 BLUES: Sam Nock popped a deft chip down the right edge that bounced into touch 17 metres out, giving the Blues attacking lineout position deep in Crusaders territory. The visitors threatened to extend their lead but their execution let them down.

12 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: After a Blues error in contact near halfway, the Crusaders swung it right through Jamie Hannah, Taha Kemara and Chay Fihaki before Antonio Shalfoon shifted it onto Johnny McNicholl, who passed to Sevu Reece. Reece cut back inside Lam to score out wide on the left. Kemara converted from 13 metres in. (Crusaders 7–7)

19 mins – RED CARD BLUES: Malachi Wrampling was initially shown a yellow card for a forceful high tackle on Leicester Fainga’anuku, making direct shoulder-to-head contact after Fainga’anuku received an offload from Noah Hotham. The TMO told referee Nic Berry there was a high degree of danger with no mitigation, and the card was upgraded to a 20-minute red. Braydon Ennor came on for Dallas McLeod as the Crusaders reshuffled.

21 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: With the Blues down to 14, the Crusaders built through the phases before Ethan Blackadder dished an offload to Christian Lio-Willie, who flicked off a brilliant pass in the tackle to McNicholl, who slipped through to score under the posts for his first. Kemara converted. (Crusaders 14–7)

27 mins – TRY BLUES: The Blues found touch six metres out and claimed the lineout through Segner. Their maul was thwarted two metres out but Ofa Tu’ungafasi and Patrick Tuipulotu hammered close to the line before Anton Segner burrowed low to get the ball down on the goal line. Sullivan converted from 17 metres in. (Crusaders 14–14)

30 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: Blackadder sent Fainga’anuku rumbling forward with a short pass before the ball was worked through Hannah, Ennor, Brewis and Hotham. It was then spread left to David Havili, who slipped through the front line and showed good strength to carry Segner over to score. Kemara converted. (Crusaders 21–14)

33 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: The Crusaders mauled forward before Fainga’anuku peeled off and kept the ball alive near the touchline. Hannah and Ennor worked it inside the five before the ball was shifted right to Reece, who fired a long bounce pass to Chay Fihaki. Fihaki cut back infield before slipping through the tackles of Sam Darry and Tu’ungafasi to score. Kemara’s conversion missed. (Crusaders 26–14)

38 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: The Crusaders opted to tap a penalty five metres out. Codie Taylor hammered forward within a metre of the line before quick hands from Hotham to Lio-Willie to Kemara freed the fly-half, who stepped sharply off his left foot and sliced through to score. Kemara converted. (Crusaders 33–14)

Half-time: Crusaders 33–14 Blues. The Blues got off to a dream start through Nock and threatened to double their lead with the 50/22, but the Wrampling red card tilted the match decisively. The Crusaders scored four tries while the Blues were short-handed and took a commanding 19-point lead into the break.

50 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: Hoskins Sotutu worked it over halfway before Pita Ahki chipped ahead to Kemara. The Crusaders swung it wide left to Havili, who slipped past two defenders and streaked into space before drawing a pass inside to McNicholl, who sprinted away to score his second. Kemara converted. (Crusaders 40–14)

52 mins – NO TRY BLUES: Sotutu was held up over the line by Havili and Hotham. With no clear angles to prove a grounding, the on-field call of no try was upheld. Goal-line dropout Crusaders.

54 mins – TRY BLUES: Sotutu zipped off the back of the scrum and rumbled up to the five-metre line. Finlay Christie passed to Xavi Taele, who slid over to score under the posts. Sullivan converted. (Crusaders 40–21)

63 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: Manumaua Letiu pounced on an errant Blues lineout throw and the Crusaders surged forward. They swung it left to Fihaki, who combined with Rivez Reihana, who dished a short pass to McNicholl. The fullback ran a cracking angle, slicing through the gap to score his hat-trick try out wide. Reihana converted. (Crusaders 47–21)

69 mins – TRY BLUES: The Blues were awarded a free kick as Christie tapped quickly and fired a pass into the midfield. A slick Stephen Perofeta offload sent Segner off on a 20-metre run through the middle of the defence. The Blues recycled quickly and the ball was spread to Taele, who fired a long pass right to Payton Spencer, who dived over in the corner. Taele’s conversion missed. (Crusaders 47–26)

74 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: Lio-Willie took the lineout and the Crusaders’ maul rumbled forward towards the goal line, gathering momentum before stampeding over out wide where Manumaua Letiu collected the five-pointer to bring up the half-century. Reihana’s conversion missed. (Crusaders 52–26)

77 mins – TRY BLUES: The Blues swung it wide from a scrum where Cole Forbes streaked up to the 22. Josh Beehre worked it forward before the ball was spread wide left, where Caleb Clarke pinned his ears back for the corner. McNicholl rushed across but was unable to stop him as Clarke got airborne for an acrobatic finish. Taele’s conversion hit the left upright. (Crusaders 52–31)

Full-time: Crusaders 52–31 Blues

Match report

Death, taxes and the Crusaders winning home playoff fixtures. The defending champions added another chapter to one of sport’s most remarkable streaks, powering past the Blues with eight tries to five in a sold-out qualifying final that was effectively decided by a single moment of recklessness in the 18th minute.

Until then, the contest had been absorbing. The Blues silenced the 25,000-strong crowd inside the opening three minutes when a smart lineout play put AJ Lam through a hole, drawing the fullback and freeing Sam Nock to score. When Nock then landed a 50/22 in the ninth minute to give the visitors attacking lineout position deep in Crusaders territory, it appeared the Blues had arrived in Christchurch with genuine intent. But their execution let them down, and the Crusaders levelled through a slick long-range team try finished by Sevu Reece after a strong run from fellow wing Chay Fihaki.

The flashpoint arrived as both sides locked into an arm-wrestle. Wrampling smashed Fainga’anuku high after the Crusaders flanker received an offload from Hotham, making direct shoulder-to-head contact that almost bent the loose forward in half. Referee Nic Berry initially showed a yellow card, but the TMO quickly intervened, telling Berry there was a high degree of danger with no mitigation. The sanction was upgraded to a 20-minute red, much to the delight of the home crowd.

The Crusaders took only two minutes to capitalise, McNicholl dotting down under the posts courtesy of a cracking Lio-Willie offload after Blackadder had started the move. To their credit, the Blues appeared galvanised by the adversity. They rolled up their sleeves and strung together nearly 30 phases before Segner, a former member of the Crusaders’ academy, burrowed low to score and level the match at 14-all.

It was game on — albeit not for long. The Crusaders knocked the stuffing out of the Blues with three tries in eight minutes to roar to a 33–14 lead at the break. Havili, who has been in career-best form in recent weeks, bagged one with a powerful surge through weak tackling. Fihaki cut back infield off his wing before brushing off multiple attempted tackles to extend the lead to 12 points, exposing a defensive commitment that was well below what was required. Kemara then showed good footwork to step sharply off his left foot and slice through just before the interval, capping the half with four conversions from six attempts. The Blues were falling off tackles — 33 missed across the match — against a team oozing with confidence.

Havili was at it again shortly after half-time, fending off Segner and breaking out from inside his own half before putting McNicholl in for his second in the 50th minute. The Blues had a try ruled out moments later when Sotutu was held up over the line by Havili and Hotham, but Taele pegged one back from close range after Sotutu’s powerful carry off the back of the scrum.

The 35-year-old McNicholl completed his hat-trick in the 63rd minute, running a cracking angle to finish off a slick move involving Fihaki and replacement Rivez Reihana after Letiu had pounced on an errant Blues lineout throw. Brought in mid-season to cover the injured Will Jordan, McNicholl has seized his opportunity with both hands, and his three tries were a fitting reward for a performance of pace and intelligence from the former Wales international.

The Blues kept coming. A slick Perofeta offload sent Segner off on a 20-metre charge through the middle, and the ball was eventually spread wide for Spencer to dive over in the corner. But the Crusaders always had the answers. Letiu crashed over on the back of a powerful rolling maul to raise the half-century, before Clarke provided the final act with an acrobatic finish in the left corner after Forbes had made good ground off a scrum.

Havili said his side had drawn on the rich Crusaders history that includes 13 titles. “It’s pretty special. We spoke about it this week, and we know how good we are at finals football, and we just backed our history in that,” the captain said. “There’s a few boys who aren’t out there, but we trust everyone in our jersey.”

At the breakdown, Fainga’anuku and Lio-Willie caused havoc throughout, winning multiple turnovers, while Hannah had several eye-catching moments as he ranged wide. For the Blues, Segner toiled hard all afternoon with several strong carries and a try, Lam was dangerous on the right edge, and replacement hooker Eli Oudenryn again gave a nod to the future with a notable impact off the bench. But the visitors have now coughed up almost 200 points across their last four matches — conceding 36, 47, 59 and 52 — and they will limp into the semi-finals, if they get a lifeline, knowing they need a dramatic improvement.

Ofa Tu’ungafasi’s milestone — his 165th Blues appearance, surpassing Keven Mealamu’s record of 164 — deserved a better occasion. With Beauden Barrett still absent and a late bench change seeing Cole Forbes replace Corey Evans in the matchday 23, this was a Blues side that lacked the composure and firepower to match the Crusaders at their fortress. As they eye a tilt at a 14th title, the Crusaders will hope injured tighthead props Fletcher Newell and Seb Calder return next week. Regardless, they are hitting form at the right time of year. Sound familiar?

Teams

Crusaders: 15 Johnny McNicholl, 14 Chay Fihaki, 13 Dallas McLeod, 12 David Havili (c), 11 Sevu Reece, 10 Taha Kemara, 9 Noah Hotham, 8 Christian Lio-Willie, 7 Leicester Fainga’anuku, 6 Ethan Blackadder, 5 Jamie Hannah, 4 Antonio Shalfoon, 3 George Bower, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Finlay Brewis.
Replacements: 16 Manumaua Letiu, 17 Jack Sexton, 18 Gus Brown, 19 Tahlor Cahill, 20 Dom Gardiner, 21 Kyle Preston, 22 Rivez Reihana, 23 Braydon Ennor.

Blues: 15 Zarn Sullivan, 14 AJ Lam, 13 Xavi Taele, 12 Pita Ahki, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Stephen Perofeta, 9 Sam Nock, 8 Malachi Wrampling, 7 Anton Segner, 6 Torian Barnes, 5 Sam Darry, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu (c), 3 Marcel Renata, 2 Bradley Slater, 1 Ofa Tu’ungafasi.
Replacements: 16 Eli Oudenryn, 17 Mason Tupaea, 18 Flyn Yates, 19 Josh Beehre, 20 Hoskins Sotutu, 21 Finlay Christie, 22 Cole Forbes, 23 Payton Spencer.

Match details

Crusaders 52 (Tries: Reece 12’, McNicholl 21’ 50’ 63’, Havili 30’, Fihaki 33’, Kemara 38’, Letiu 74’; Conversions: Kemara 4/6, Reihana 1/2)
Blues 31 (Tries: Nock 3’, Segner 27’, Taele 54’, Spencer 69’, Clarke 77’; Conversions: Sullivan 3/3, Taele 0/2)
Half-time: 33–14
Red card: Malachi Wrampling 19’ (Blues — high tackle on Leicester Fainga’anuku, upgraded from yellow)

Venue: One NZ Stadium, Christchurch (sold out)
Referee: Nic Berry (Australia). Assistant referees: Reuben Keane, Louis Trisley. TMO: Brett Cronan.

What’s next

The Crusaders advance to next week’s semi-finals, with their opponent and venue determined by the Chiefs v Reds qualifying final in Hamilton. A Chiefs victory sends the Crusaders to Hamilton for a rematch of last year’s grand final, while a Reds upset would see the Crusaders host in Christchurch. The Blues’ fate also rests on that result: a Chiefs win keeps them alive as the lucky loser, facing the Hurricanes in Wellington, while a Reds victory ends their season.