Crusaders win Super 14 final
May 31, 2008

SERIAL champions the Crusaders once again denied New South Wales their maiden Super 14 rugby title with a tense 20-12 victory in the final at AMI Stadium.

The benchmark Crusaders rallied from 12-3 down after half an hour to reel in the Waratahs and hoist their seventh trophy in 11 years.

Superstar fly half Dan Carter ultimately proved the difference, slotting four penalties and a drop goal for a personal 15-point haul.

Victory gave departing coach Robbie Deans his fifth title with the Crusaders before he takes up his four-year posting with the Australia team on Monday.

For the Waratahs, and outgoing coach Ewen McKenzie - who was told mid-season his contract would not be renewed in 2009 - it was despair again in Christchurch.

The Tahs also lost the 2005 final to the Crusaders - but they at least put up a fight this time.

A spectacular try scoring double to winger Lachie Turner had given NSW a 12-11 half-time lead.

But they were unable to add to their tally in the second half, as the Crusaders once more rose to the challenge.

On a beautiful night in Christchurch, the Crusaders opened the scoring with a fourth-minute penalty goal to fly half Dan Carter before young guns Turner and Kurtley Beale combined brilliantly for the Waratahs.

Showing great speed and athleticism, Turner raced 25 metres before outleaping Carter - who was defending out of position on the wing - and swivelling mid-air before planting the ball down for a superb try.

Beale hooked the conversion attempt, leaving the Waratahs with an early 5-3 lead.

Carter missed with a long-range drop goal attempt shortly after before Crusaders centre Casey Laulala butchered a seemingly certain try in the 17th minute.

With two players outside him and only Turner to beat, Laulala ignored the overlap, ventured back inside and was swamped by the NSW's typically resilient defence.

Carter was off target with another penalty goal attempt two minutes later and, compounding his first-half woes, the so-called best player in the world then had a pass intercepted by NSW captain Phil Waugh.

With the home side on the back foot, Turner again seized the moment, chipping the ball over the defence and easily beating Crusaders half-back Andy Ellis to regain possession to grab his second try of the night.

Beale's successful conversion stretched NSW's advantage to 12-3 after 26 minutes.

But the Crusaders narrowed the gap with a second Carter penalty goal in the 32nd minute and well-worked try to No.8 Mose Tuiali'i three minutes before the break.

The Crusaders nudged to a two-point lead in the 46th minute through another Carter penalty goal following Sam Norton-Knight's high - but trysaving - tackle on Tim Bateman.

The match took a dramatic twist in the 55th minute when the Crusaders were denied a try and had star lock Brad Thorn sin-binned at the same time for foul play.

While Crusaders fans were celebrating after Wyatt Crockett managed to touch down for what appeared a legitimate five-pointer, South African referee Mark Lawrence consulted one of his touch judges before ruling no try.

Lawrence instead awarded a penalty back near halfway to NSW and pulled out his yellow card for Thorn punching a Waratah in back play.

At the same time as the Crusaders' dual international was trudging to the sin bin, Beale was being assisted from the field with an apparent leg injury.

But, despite pressuring the Crusaders defence, the Waratahs were unable to capitalise on their one-man advantage and were left to rue yet another missed opportunity.

“Obviously they got better early in the second half and I don't think we scored a point in that second half and, as I said before the game, it's about 80 minutes and we just didn't go on with it from half-time,'' Waugh lamented.

“We were confident going into that second half, but a couple of critical turnovers and it hurts you.

“Their kicking game was very good tonight. Our defence was probably just as good (as theirs). Probably the difference was the amount of pressure in our own half, and that paid off for them at the end of the game.''

A gracious Waugh said the Crusaders “thoroughly deserved'' their title.

“They're really good,'' he said.

“They won the round-robin convincingly, (had) a good semi-final (win) last week and we were outplayed tonight, so good luck to them.''