The Crusaders punished the NSW Waratahs in a ruthless display at home.
The 42-18 victory was built off a dominant finish to the first half as Scott Robertson's men picked apart a wasteful Waratahs outfit.
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It ends the Waratahs' four game winning streak and leaves them licking their wounds after a physical encounter.
So what did we learn?
1 TEENAGE HEARTBREAK
Waratah fans will be holding their breath that Max Jorgensen’s injury is nothing major.
The nature of the incident is concerning, with Jorgensen going back on his knee after a cleanout early in the defeat. They will not know the full damage until the fullback goes for scans
His absence was clear to see. The Waratahs struggled to exit without his booming boot as the second option to Donaldson and it allowed Mo’unga and the All-Black-lathered backline to pick apart the midfield.
Given how late it is in the season, even a minor injury likely spells the end of his year in the sky blue.
2. TIMELESS
John Afoa showed that class is permanent, becoming the oldest Super Rugby player in history at 39 years, 223 days.
The Blues legend came to Christchurch after an SOS call from Scott Robertson and delivered a quality 48-minute stint, over ten years after his last Super Rugby appearance.
In one of his first scrums back he won the penalty against 34-year-old Te Tera Faulkner and made some key tackles.
It seems to be the theme of SRP in 2023, starting with Jeremy Thrush’s fairytale comeback.
3. TANE TIMING PERFECT
Flyhalf Take Edmed returns for the Waratahs at the ideal time.
Their last-minute try showed Edmed at his best, marshalling their attack and giving perfect delivery to his centres after a rocky start when his long pass couldn’t find Mark Nawaqanitawase.
The return of Edmed provides a natural replacement for Jorgensen if his knock is serious, shifting Donaldson back to fullback like how they started the year.
4. WALKING WOUNDED
The Crusaders have the talent to match it with the best. The question is how much of it will be left on the park?
David Havili and Cullen Grace are the latest in a long line of injuries for the defending premiers.
Havili looked damaging before appearing to do his hamstring as he raced to the try-line.
Meanwhile, Grace continues his luckless run after limping from the field in the first 15 minutes.
It comes with George Bower, Sevu Reece, Fletcher Newell and Joe Moody already on the sidelines long-term.
5. THE RESTING DILEMMA
Waratahs coach Darren Coleman will have to weigh up resting some players ahead of their final-round clash with Moana Pasifika.
They’ve produced some herculean efforts in defence over the past month but the toll of it showed at the end of the first half as the Crusaders attacked at will.
The visitors struggled to build pressure off their kicks and allowed the Crusaders to play the style of game they thrive on. They constantly lost that collision battle and never seemed to recover.
But that’s always the double-edged sword of games like this. If they rested all their players, they would’ve likely copped similar criticism regarding not sending over a competitive team, similar to after the Blues' defeat.
Michael Hooper’s return will help the defence, along with centres Izaia Perese and Lalakai Foketi in shoring up the kick chase. With depth in their pack, it may be worth just freshening up some of that tight five with sixth locked up after the Reds loss yesterday
