The Crusaders locked horns with the Highlanders in Invercargill on Thursday afternoon in a lung-busting game of preseason rugby.
A rapid back-and-forth contest came down to the wire but the young Highlanders outfit came away with a 29-24 win to back up last week’s late victory over Moana Pasifika.
After the slow start against Moana Pasifika, the Highlanders came out of the gates full of energy and intent. Bruising defence shut the Crusaders’ opening possession down early and new recruit Veveni Lasaqa opened the Crusaders’ defence up with a midfield run, the flanker showing rapid pace with his first touch.
The pressure resulted in an early three points for the Southerners.
Efficient attacking breakdown work allowed the Crusaders to build some momentum with the ball and the visitors earned strong field position for their efforts.
The Crusaders twice went wide to Sevu Reece but the Highlanders defence was up to the task and caught the All Black short of the line. George Bell would have no such issue though after breaking away from a rolling maul five metres from the Highlanders line and crashing over.
Ethan de Groot, the Highlanders’ lone All Black lined up in the No. 1 jersey opposite Fletcher Newell, another All Blacks prop who fell down the pecking order on the tail end of the 2024 international season. The Crusaders scrum outpowered their opposition thoroughly, and the pace of the game only grew as rolling subs were deployed early. George Bell and Dallas McLeod both left in the opening quarter with injuries.
There were offloads and intercepts aplenty but again the Crusaders were the team able to string more phases together, and Taha Kemara was the next to score after slicing through the defence on a clean angle.
An opportunistic pick-and-go by Jona Nareki saw him dance through a congested area and reach the try line next. The Crusaders responded on the brink of halftime to extend their lead to 19-10.
The second half delivered more exhilarating play from the outset, with play swinging from end to end.
Fletcher Newell departed the contest and was replaced by young second-rower Liam Jack, resulting in uncontested scrums entering the game. Keep an eye out for injury updates in the coming week.
Caleb Tangitau was in the thick of the action for the Highlanders while Finn Hurley injected pace into the game with every touch. Newly named Highlanders co-captain Timoci Tavatavanawai was destructive in the No. 12 jersey.
For the Crusaders, Sevu Reece finished his shift with numerous intercepts to his name and former Wallaby James O’Connor showed some classy moments as a playmaker.
While the Highlanders grew throughout the second period, their lineout was a shambles and held them back from capitalizing on hard-earned momentum. That being said, tries to Sean Withy and Michael Manson gave them a two-score lead.
With full-time approaching and down 10, Xavier Saifoloi put a huge fend on to break the Highlanders line, setting Macca springer away with space. Springer chipped the ball through and regathered to score.
The late charge was too little too late though as the Highlanders held on to their five-point lead until the final whistle.
