Match Details

Crusaders (NZ)

VS

Hurricanes (NZ)

23

Christchurch Kick off times: 7:35pm (Local) Fri 20 Apr 5:35pm (AEST) Fri 20 Apr

13

The law of averages says that sooner or later someone will beat the Crusaders at Fortress Jade but it won't be the Hurricanes; not this year anyway. The Crusaders dispatched the Canes by 23-13 in an anxious, stuttering encounter between two of New Zealand's best in Christchurch.

Always one of the Investec Super 14's blue-chip battles, extra intensity was added to this one by the fact that a Hurricanes loss was likely to be terminal while a Crusaders win - with the Brumbies away and the Chiefs at home to come - would put them firmly on track for a home semi and the much-coveted No.1 seeding.

The Crusaders opened strongly and flyhalf Daniel Carter made the pressure pay with a simple penalty after eight minutes.

Three minutes later Hurricanes inside centre Ma'a Nonu sliced open the Crusaders' midfield defence far too easily to glide in under the posts. Flyhalf Piri Weepu added the conversion and the crowd fell silent. But not for long.

The home side struck back 15 minutes into the game when hooker Corey Flynn shrugged off far a host of would-be tackles on a 25-metre run to score in the corner. Carter added the extras from wide out and normal service was resumed.

The Crusaders went further ahead after 20 minutes when lock Ross Filipo dived through a pile of bodies on the Hurricanes' try-line to score.

Weepu closed the gap with a penalty goal on 27 minutes and another of the stroke of half-time.

At the end of a stuttering first 40 during which neither side seemed capable of establishing any rhythm the Crusaders led the Hurricanes 17-13.

Early in the second half play was stopped for a considerable length of time as Hurricanes' flanker Jerry Collins was stretcher off the field in a neck brace. He was taken to hospital for tests after he felt tingling in his shoulder.

Compelling for the tightness of the score rather than the quality of the play, the game failed to ignite to any degree until the 58th minute when, following a break from fullback Cory Jane, the Hurricanes engineered and then butchered a golden opportunity to score.

To make matters worse, Nonu was sin-binned shortly afterwards. Then soon after the Crusaders finally broke the deadlock after 15 minutes with a penalty goal from Carter.

Carter added another three five minutes from time and the Crusaders were effectively home and dry.

It was not a game that either side will look back on with much affection but great sides play badly and still win and that's exactly what the Crusaders did but they failed to achieve a bonus point, something that depending on this weekend's results, could prove crucial.

Crusaders 23

Tries: Flynn, Filipo

Con: Carter 2

Pen: Carter 3

Hurricanes 13Tries: Nonu

Con: Weepu

Pen: Weepu 2

HT: 17-13