http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rug...ch-report.html
Crusaders 44 Sharks 28: match report
By Mick Cleary 9:00PM BST 27 Mar 2011
1 Comment
Breathless at Twickenham. The action was fast, fierce and unrelenting, the brand motif of Super rugby. They came in their thousands (35,094) and they liked what they saw: racy, pacy, and a joy to watch.
The first Super 15 contest to be staged in the northern hemisphere was organised to help raise funds for the Red Cross Christchurch earthquake appeal, but what was born out of adversity might even one day become an entity in its own right. There would have been few dissenting voices to be heard at Twickenham on Sunday at the thought of Super rugby becoming an annual fixture.
Of course there were times when more hard-core tackling would have helped but the majority of the scores were completed with the precision of a surgeon making a delicate cut.
It took a long time for the Sharks to show their fangs but when they did, notably either side of half-time when they scored three tries, they too threatened to sweep the opposition away. Their spirited fightback made it a real contest, the two sides going the length of the field for near scores in the closing seconds.
Crusaders, seven times champions, showed all the attributes that have made them the pre-eminent force south of the equator. It was fantasy footie, total rugby, a riot of running with All Black fly-half Dan Carter, who scored 22 points, in supreme form. Any side with aspirations to do something at the Rugby World Cup this year will have one mission in mind – get Carter. He was deft and devastating in equal measure, sharp-brained and just as sharp-heeled.
The man alongside him, Sonny Bill Williams, was as potent, his ability to offload in the tackle a real weapon. Boy, can he run some angles. It is a double act that is shaping up to rule the world. The only concern was that Carter hobbled off in the second half, although only a minor hamstring strain was reported. There were injuries, also, to No 8 Kieran Read and lock Sam Whitelock.
The huge expat community in the capital makes the staging of such matches an attractive proposition. Money invariably talks in these matters. Organisers were hoping to raise £1 million from a week of sustained fund-raising for the earthquake appeal. The efforts put in by so many should be applauded. The cause was worthy, the response terrific.
The Crusaders earned all the plaudits for their on-field performance, fired by the irrepressible midfield axis of Carter and Williams, but it takes two to play, and none of this would have happened without the co-operation of the Sharks.
This was their fourth game in four countries over the past month. They left Durban at 6am on Friday and were bustled out of Twickenham with barely time for a shower to catch a 9pm flight back to South Africa to prepare for the Super 15 leaders, the Stormers next weekend.
Their commitment to the cause was all the more admirable given that floods in Natal recently caused over 200 people to lose their lives.
The Sharks, who had lost only one game prior to this sixth round of matches, were dozy during the opening exchanges. Crusaders took advantage scoring four tries by the half-hour mark through Carter and their back three of Sean Maitland, Israel Dagg and Zac Guildford.
At 34-10, Crusaders must have thought their work for the afternoon was done, for they allowed Sharks fly-half, Jacques-Louis Potgieter the softest of tries from the restart. The blip quickly turned into something altogether more threatening when Sharks lock Alistair Hargraves and wing Odwa Ndungane touched down shortly after half-time, closing the deficit to nine points.
Suddenly it was the Crusaders having to suck deep to draw in air. Suddenly it was the South African side on the front foot. It made for some riveting passages of play.
Whoever cracked would lose. In the end, it was the Crusaders who had that bit extra to offer. It took a beautiful inside pass from replacement scrum-half Kahn Foutuali’i to make the opening, Guildford taking it on before releasing Maitland for the decisive score in the 66th minute.
There was still drama to come, Crusaders finishing with 14 men after using up their replacement bench and seeing Whitelock limp off. The final whistle came as a relief only to the players. The crowd wanted more. Much more. Perhaps one day they will get their wish.
Match details
Crusaders: I Dagg; S Maitland, R Fruean (A Whitelock 64), S B Williams, Z Guildford; D Carter, A Ellis (K Foutuali’i 64); W Crockett, C Flynn (Q MacDonald 51), O Franks (B Franks 45), B Thorn (C Jack 70), S Whitelock, G Whitelock, M Todd, K Read (capt) (J Poff h-t).
Tries: Maitland (2), Carter, Dagg, Guildford.
Conversions: Carter (4), Berquist.
Penalty goals: Carter (3).
Sharks: L Ludik; O Ndungane, S Terblanche, M Bosman, L Mvovo (JP Pietersen 51); J-L Potgieter (A Jacobs 54), C McLeod (C Hoffman 70); J Smit (T Mtawarira 51), B du Plessis, J du Plessis (E van Staten 74), S Sykes (G Mostert 64), A Hargreaves, K Daniel, W Alberts (J Botes 68), R Kankowski.
Tries: Alberts, Potgieter, Hargraves, Ndungane.
Conversions: Potgieter.
Penalty goals: Potgieter (2).
Referee: S Walsh (Australia).
