David Havili produced one of the performances of the Super Rugby Pacific season to lead the Crusaders to a breathtaking 36–32 comeback victory over the Chiefs at One New Zealand Stadium, scoring the match-winning try and setting it up with a booming 50/22 kick that nearly lifted the roof off the ground.
Key moments
5 mins – TRY CHIEFS: Kyren Taumoefolau finished in the right corner after slick hands from Josh Jacomb and Liam Coombes-Fabling. Jacomb missed the conversion from wide out. (Crusaders 0–5 Chiefs)
13 mins – TRY DISALLOWED CRUSADERS: Noah Hotham streaked 45m down the left touchline from a quick lineout, but the TMO ruled it out after replays showed his boot grazed the touchline in Isaac Hutchinson’s covering tackle.
19 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: Leicester Fainga’anuku powered through Luke Jacobson’s tackle from close range after the Crusaders’ maul surged forward from a lineout. Rivez Reihana missed the conversion. (Crusaders 5–5 Chiefs)
24 mins – TRY CHIEFS: Samisoni Taukei’aho peeled off the back of a driving maul to score the Chiefs’ second try after a high tackle by Fainga’anuku on Hutchinson had given the visitors field position. Jacomb converted. (Crusaders 5–12 Chiefs)
29 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: Jamie Hannah collected a bounce pass and powered over in the corner after Sevu Reece regathered his own chip kick and sent Chay Fihaki into the 22. Reihana missed the conversion. (Crusaders 10–12 Chiefs)
33 mins – TRY CHIEFS: Josh Lord picked and drove over from the goal line for his first Super Rugby try in his 42nd match, after the Chiefs pounded through multiple phases close to the line. Jacomb converted. (Crusaders 10–19 Chiefs)
37 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: Christian Lio-Willie crashed over from close range after Noah Hotham popped a short pass. Reihana converted. (Crusaders 17–19 Chiefs)
Half-time: Crusaders 17–19 Chiefs. A pulsating first half featuring six tries. The Chiefs had the edge through their set piece, with Taukei’aho and Lord both scoring from lineout drives, but the Crusaders hit back each time through the power of Fainga’anuku and the finishing of Hannah. Hutchinson’s covering tackle to deny Hotham a try in the 13th minute was a pivotal moment.
44 mins – PENALTY CHIEFS: Jacomb slotted from 23m out after the Chiefs won a scrum penalty for illegal wheeling. (Crusaders 17–22 Chiefs)
51 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: Johnny McNicholl dived over after Reece made a searing break down the right touchline from a Chiefs handling error and delivered a pinpoint pass back infield. Taha Kemara converted. (Crusaders 24–22 Chiefs)
55 mins – TRY CHIEFS: Quinn Tupaea ran a cracking angle through a gap from a crisp flat pass by Jacomb off a lineout movement. Jacomb converted. (Crusaders 24–29 Chiefs)
66 mins – PENALTY CHIEFS: Jacomb landed from close range after the Chiefs pounded through 20 phases on the Crusaders’ goal line before earning a penalty for side entry at the ruck. (Crusaders 24–32 Chiefs)
71 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: McNicholl scored his second after Will Jordan floated a long pass to the right corner. Kemara missed the conversion from wide out. (Crusaders 29–32 Chiefs)
75 mins – TRY CRUSADERS: David Havili sliced through under the posts after Fainga’anuku drew multiple defenders and flicked an offload. Havili had earlier pumped a huge 50/22 kick to put the Crusaders back on attack. Kemara converted. (Crusaders 36–32 Chiefs)
80 mins – MISSED PENALTY CRUSADERS: Kemara’s attempt from 47m dropped short.
Full-time: Crusaders 36–32 Chiefs
Match report
The Crusaders scored twice in the final nine minutes to complete a stunning comeback and beat the Chiefs 36–32 in a see-sawing classic at One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch. Trailing by eight points with 14 minutes remaining, the defending champions dug deep through the brilliance of captain David Havili and the relentless power of Leicester Fainga’anuku to seal a result that secures their place in the Super Rugby Pacific finals and keeps alive their push for a home qualifying final.
The victory was the Crusaders’ third in succession over the Chiefs and extended their unbeaten record at One New Zealand Stadium to three matches. For the Chiefs, it snapped a seven-match winning streak that had dated back to late March and all but ended their hopes of overhauling the Hurricanes for the minor premiership.
The match was a fitting rematch of last year’s final, with the two heavyweights trading blows from the opening whistle. The Chiefs struck first in the fifth minute when Kyren Taumoefolau muscled over in the right corner after slick hands from Josh Jacomb and Liam Coombes-Fabling created the overlap. Jacomb missed the conversion, but the visitors had set the tone.
The Crusaders thought they had hit back immediately when halfback Noah Hotham streaked 45 metres down the left touchline from a quick lineout with Sevu Reece, only for the TMO to deny him after replays showed his boot had grazed the touchline in a desperate covering tackle by Isaac Hutchinson. It was a pivotal intervention from the fullback, who was starting in place of the concussed Damian McKenzie, and one that denied the Crusaders momentum at a crucial juncture.
They would not be denied for long. The Crusaders built relentless pressure through their maul and a string of penalties against the Chiefs, who were given a warning for persistent infringement. Fainga’anuku was the beneficiary, powering through Luke Jacobson’s tackle from close range to level the scores in the 19th minute. Rivez Reihana missed the conversion, leaving the Chiefs ahead on points differential alone.
The pattern of punch and counter-punch defined the remainder of the first half. A high tackle by Fainga’anuku on Hutchinson gave the Chiefs field position, and their lineout drive proved irresistible as Samisoni Taukei’aho peeled off the back to score his ninth try of the season. The Crusaders responded through Jamie Hannah, who collected a bounce pass and powered over in the corner after Reece had regathered his own chip kick to create the opening.
Josh Lord then drove over from the goal line for his first Super Rugby try in his 42nd match, extending the Chiefs’ lead to 19–10 after another dominant lineout drive. But Christian Lio-Willie crashed over from a Noah Hotham short pass to reduce the deficit to two points at the break.
The Chiefs edged further ahead early in the second half when Jacomb slotted a penalty after a dominant scrum earned a penalty for illegal wheeling. The Crusaders then seized the lead for the first time in the 51st minute. A Chiefs handling error gifted them possession, and Reece made a searing break down the right touchline before delivering a pinpoint pass back infield to replacement Johnny McNicholl. Taha Kemara, who had come on for Reihana, converted from wide to put the Crusaders 24–22 ahead.
The Chiefs’ response was immediate and clinical. Off the top of a lineout, Xavier Roe fed Jacomb, who delivered a crisp flat pass to Quinn Tupaea. The inside centre ran a devastating angle through a gap in the Crusaders’ defensive line and scored untouched under the posts. Tupaea had been outstanding throughout, and this was his signature moment.
Jacomb extended the lead to eight points in the 66th minute after the Chiefs pounded through 20 phases on the Crusaders’ goal line. The Red and Blacks held firm for phase after phase but were eventually penalised for side entry at the ruck, and Jacomb made no mistake from close range.
With the match slipping away, the Crusaders produced their most clinical passage of the season. McNicholl scored his second in the 71st minute, finishing in the right corner after Will Jordan floated a long pass from a sustained attack. Kemara missed the conversion from wide, leaving the Crusaders three points adrift with nine minutes remaining.
Then came the moment that will define the Crusaders’ season. Havili, standing on his own 22-metre line, pumped a huge kick that bounced into touch eight metres from the Chiefs’ line — a 50/22 that flipped the field position and sent the sold-out crowd into a frenzy. From the resulting lineout, the Crusaders worked through multiple phases before Fainga’anuku drew in several defenders and flicked a late offload to Havili, who sliced through to score under the posts. Kemara converted to push the lead to four.
The drama was not finished. Kemara’s penalty attempt from 47 metres with time up dropped short, giving the Chiefs one final chance to steal the match. Hutchinson and Taumoefolau burst through the line and into the 22, but they were isolated and turned over. Fainga’anuku then booted the ball into touch to seal an enthralling victory.
Fainga’anuku was immense throughout, carrying with trademark power and providing the decisive assist for Havili’s winner. Lio-Willie was a standout in the loose, while Reece was a constant threat on the wing with his involvement in two of the Crusaders’ six tries. For the Chiefs, Wallace Sititi and Taukei’aho were tireless up front, Lord was influential in the lineout, and Hutchinson impressed at fullback with his try-saving tackle and threatening breaks. Tupaea’s try was a moment of genuine class.
The result lifts the Crusaders to 36 points on the ladder, just two behind the Blues in third. With both sides meeting the top two in the final round — the Crusaders hosting the Hurricanes and the Blues travelling to Hamilton to face the Chiefs — the race for a home qualifying final could go down to the wire.
Match details
Crusaders 36 (Tries: Fainga’anuku, Hannah, Lio-Willie, McNicholl 2, Havili; Conversions: Reihana 1/3, Kemara 2/3)
Chiefs 32 (Tries: Taumoefolau, Taukei’aho, Lord, Tupaea; Conversions: Jacomb 3/4; Penalties: Jacomb 2/2)
Half-time: 17–19
Venue: One New Zealand Stadium, Christchurch
Referee: James Doleman (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Marcus Playle, Fraser Hannon
TMO: Glen Newman
Teams
Crusaders: 15 Will Jordan, 14 Chay Fihaki, 13 Dallas McLeod, 12 David Havili (c), 11 Sevu Reece, 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 Manumaua Leitu, 17 Jack Sexton, 18 Seb Calder, 19 Liam Jack, 20 Dom Gardiner, 21 Kyle Preston, 22 Taha Kemara, 23 Johnny McNicholl.
Chiefs: 15 Isaac Hutchinson, 14 Liam Coombes-Fabling, 13 Kyle Brown, 12 Quinn Tupaea, 11 Kyren Taumoefolau, 10 Josh Jacomb, 9 Cortez Ratima, 8 Wallace Sititi, 7 Luke Jacobson (c), 6 Samipeni Finau, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 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 Simon Parker, 21 Xavier Roe, 22 Tepaea Cook-Savage, 23 Daniel Rona.
What’s next
The Crusaders host the Hurricanes in the final round of the regular season, needing a win to potentially claim third place and a home qualifying final. The Chiefs travel to Hamilton to face the Blues, with second place already secure but the chance to deny the Blues a home final adding spice to the occasion.
