The Crusaders scored eight tries to down a determined Waratahs side for a 54-28 bonus-point victory in Wollongong on Saturday.
The workmanlike Crusaders inflicted an 11th straight defeat on the Waratahs in this Super Rugby Trans Tasman clash.
Only once in the history of Super Rugby has an Australian team suffered a worse streak – when the Rebels lost 12 on the trot in 2011-12.
New Zealand’s premier team started slowly, making uncharacteristic errors, before finding their groove at a windy Wollongong, south of Sydney.
“We were a little bit loose there at times, trying to chase points and tries,” Crusaders captain Scott Barrett said of their less-than-clinical performance.
“We gave a lot of ball away in the first-half especially, so plenty of stuff for us to work on.”
After Mitchell Drummond scored the opening try for the Crusaders, Will Harrison drilled two penalties to keep the home side in the hunt until the 29th minute when Codie Taylor crossed after a scintillating 80-metre counter-attack.
It opened the floodgates with Reece and Dallas McLeod also bagging tries to give them a 26-9 half-time lead.
Barrett, Leicester Fainga’anuku, Bryn Hall and Will Jordan all scored for the Crusaders in the second stanza while the ‘Tahs produced tries to Jack Maddocks and Izaia Perese.
– AFP
Photo: Mark Evans/Getty Images
