Match Details

Crusaders (NZ)

VS

Stormers (SA)

36

Christchurch Kick off times: 7:35pm (Local) Sat 24 Mar 6:35pm (AEDT) Sat 24 Mar

11

The reinforced Crusaders turned in a competent performance at Jade Stadium on Saturday night to comfortably beat the Stormers by 36-11 and send a timely warning to the rest of the Super 14.

A week ago the Crusaders faced a must-win match with the Bulls to stay in touch with the leaders; now few would bet against them making the semis or going all the way.

Much of the Cantabrian confidence is, of course, based on the return of six front-line All Blacks, all of whom were pitched straight into action in the starting XV.

The question was always around their match fitness and an error-strewn first quarter certainly wasn't pretty.

Crusaders' first five-eighths Daniel Carter showed signs of rustiness with the boot early on when missed a simple three-pointer to open the scoring after flanker Richie McCaw was upturned in a tackle by Stormers' hooker Schalk Britz.

Carter made amends with a penalty on 15 minutes when the Stormers were penalised for killing the ball at the ruck.

The Stormers responded on 20 minutes with a penalty from flyhalf Peter Grant following a collapsed scrum.

The game - and the crowd - burst into life on 27 minutes when wing Scott Hamilton collected an exquisite Carter kick and fed centre Casey Laulala who went in under the posts. Carter added the extras.

Wing Rico Gear extended the Crusaders' lead on 33 minutes when he fielded another sensational Carter chip and cantered in under the posts.

As so often happens, the Crusaders upped the ante in the second quarter and, having stuttered in the first 20, they looked comfortable at the break leading 17-3.

The home crowd was stunned into silence when Stormers' inside centre De Wet Barry went over in the corner from the first play after the kick off to close the gap to nine.

Grant and Carter exchanged penalties during the following ten minutes before the All Blacks pivot added another two more three-pointers on either side of the hour mark following a quarter in which the Crusaders looked to have gone off the boil.

The kick-fest eventually came to an end when, on 69 minutes, flanker Richie McCaw found himself on the end of an expansive Crusaders' move and fed fullback Leon McDonald on the inside for a try in the corner.

McCaw departed the field immediately after the try to be replaced by Johnny Leo'o.

Rico Gear delighted the Canterbury crowd by adding a fourth try and securing a bonus point after the final hooter had sounded.

It's fair to say that there is more to come from the Crusaders and they will be very tough to beat in the second half of the season.

Crusaders 36

Tries: Laulala, Gear 2, McDonald

Conversions: Carter 2

Penalties: Carter 4

Stormers 11

Tries: Barry

Conversions:

Penalties: Grant 2