Crusaders power past Blues in high-scoring qualifying final to book spot in semi-finals

The Crusaders delivered a clinical finals performance in Christchurch, defeating the Blues 52–31 in a high-scoring qualifying final at One New Zealand Stadium. 

In front of a packed home crowd, the Crusaders overcame an early deficit before taking control through the middle stages and finishing with authority, running in eight tries to five to book their place in the semi-finals. 

The Blues struck first through Sam Nock, with Zarn Sullivan converting to give the visitors a 7–0 lead inside the opening minutes.  

The Crusaders responded quickly, shifting the ball wide where Sevu Reece cut back infield to score, with Taha Kemara levelling the scores at 7–7. 

The match remained evenly poised until a pivotal moment midway through the first half, when Malachi Wrampling was shown a red card. The Crusaders capitalised immediately, building pressure before Johnny McNicholl finished under the posts following clever offloads from Ethan Blackadder and Christian Lio-Willie, with Kemara converting to make it 14–7. 

The Blues answered through Anton Segner to level the scores at 14–14, but from that point the Crusaders took control. Captain David Havili showed strength to power over and restore the lead, before Chay Fihaki extended the advantage with a sharp finish out wide. 

With momentum firmly theirs, the Crusaders delivered another blow before the break. Opting to tap close to the line, they moved the ball quickly through the hands before Kemara stepped inside the defence to score and convert his own try. 

By halftime, the Crusaders had surged to a commanding 33–14 lead, feeding off the energy of the Christchurch crowd and finishing the opening 40 minutes with real authority. 

The Crusaders continued to apply pressure after the break and extended their lead early in the second half. Havili sparked the movement with a break down the left edge, putting Johnny McNicholl into space to score his second, with Kemara converting to push the margin out to 40–14. 

The Blues responded through Xavi Taele, who crossed under the posts after strong work from the forwards, but the Crusaders quickly reasserted control. Slick handling from Chay Fihaki and Rivez Reihana created space for McNicholl to complete his hat-trick, with Reihana adding the conversion to make it 47–21. 

To their credit, the Blues continued to fight, with Payton Spencer finishing in the corner after a sharp attacking sequence. However, the Crusaders maintained their composure and added to their tally, with Manumaua Letiu powering over from a driving maul to bring up the half-century. 

A late acrobatic try to Caleb Clarke added to the Blues’ scoreline, but the result was never in doubt as the Crusaders closed out a convincing 52–31 victory. 

The night was topped off with celebrating the latest Crusader – Crusader #312 Gus Brown. 

“To win with a margin like that against the Blues is massive at any time of the season and to do it in front of a crowd like that was special,” says Head Coach Rob Penney. 

“I’m so proud of the group. They had to put up with a lot of adversities with lots of changes out there and mouth guards pinging, but they just adapted and adjusted beautifully and with Dave’s leadership they all stayed on task. 

Captain David Havili was equally pleased with the performance.  

“Very happy. I feel like I’m just enjoying it, I love finals footy and love being here. I’ll do anything to get another week and I’m just loving my rugby and being out there with this team,” says Havili. 

We now turn our attention to the semi-finals, confirmed to be against the Chiefs on Friday 12 June in Hamilton. 

Final score: Crusaders 52, Blues 31.