The Crusaders extended their unbeaten playoff streak at home to 30 matches on Friday, beating the Queensland Reds 32-12 in a relatively one-sided Qualifying Final. It was a result that left visiting captain Tate McDermott visibly disappointed after full-time.
After starting their season with five wins from six starts, the Queenslanders ended up finishing the round-robin in fifth place, which saw them lock in a date with the Crusaders in the first round of the playoffs.
Wallabies skipper Harry Wilson was cleared to play after suffering an injury during the round 16 win over the Fijian Drua in Brisbane, and the inclusion of other Test stars like Fraser McReight, Hunter Paisami and McDermott made for a genuinely star-studded side.
Match Summary 
Under coach Les Kiss, the Reds made their way across the Tasman, hoping to avenge their 43-19 loss at Apollo Projects Stadium on March 9. While Friday’s scoreline wasn’t as one-sided for most of the contest, the Crusaders never looked like losing.
The Reds went into the break down 12-nil, and conceded another two tries after the half before getting on the scoreboard themselves. Josh Nasser and McReight crossed for a try each, but there wasn’t enough time to mount a genuine comeback.
“What we knew about the Crusaders, obviously, particularly at home, and they’ve shown all year that they’re a world-class side. They didn’t need too many opportunities to capitalise during the first half,” McDermott said post-game.
“I was really proud of the fight. We went into the sheds 12-nil [down] which, all things considered… and after making a couple of errors, 12-nil was not a bad point for us to make a return in the second half.
“They dominated us up front… but also the collision areas across the forwards and backline. They got a number on us there and they did a number on our attacking breakdown, which made it very difficult to shift the point of attack.
“To their credit, they’re very good at disrupting and they did.
“Really disappointed, obviously. Really proud of the group. It’s been an interesting year from our point of view – started really well and then probably were disappointed with a couple games in the backend of the year but then finished strong.”
The Reds stood tall on the defensive side of the ball during the first 15 minutes of the Qualifying Final, as the Crusaders unleashed wave after wave of attack, in a bid to break the deadlock in tough Christchurch conditions.
All Blacks captain Scott Barrett ended up crashing over for the opener, which was followed by a try to Tamaiti Williams soon after. Rivez Reihana converted the second score to give the Crusaders that 12-nil lead at the interval.
Some individual brilliance from Noah Hotham extended the hosts’ lead later on, before Reihana all but sealed the win with the team’s fourth five-pointer. The Crusaders had the last laugh, too, with replacement Kyle Preston diving over in the corner with two minutes left.
“For us, it’s not all doom and gloom. We know from a supporter’s point of view it’s a bit of Groundhog Day, and for the boys in there as well, really disappointed that again our journey finishes in the quarter-finals,” McDermott added.
“We’ve just got to regroup and go again next year. I don’t like using the word ‘building’ because everyone uses it but there’s been some incredible development in some players this year across the board.
“Joe Brial, guys like Dre Pakeho, and then guys like Harry Wilson, Fraser [McReight] again playing tremendous… we’ve got the cattle, we’ve just got to get the results and unfortunately tonight we’re beaten by a better side.”
