The Crusaders are my hate team. I detest how they cheat, yes cheat, with impunity and get away with it because they do it at pace and with purpose. Just like somebody going where they shouldn't in a secure area, walk with purpose and act like you belong and most of the time you will be unchallenged. Then get Mcaw, the master cheat himself, or Reid bleating to the refs regarding infringements and the penalties will flow. The Crusaders vaunted counter ruck is very often (not always) but more often than not, gained by players entering from the side and by the tackler blocking the opposition from joining, just look at the last penalty and see where the ruck starts and where it ends, if the Crusaders enetered and bound from behind the last feet why does the ruck move 45 degrees to the try line, maybe because Mcaw joined from the side to take out Samo? The Franks brothers are becoming the new Myth. Every scrum that we got a view of Owen Franks he had a hand down on the engagement and then drove in and up. Then add the fact that the Crusaders scrum (along with quite a few others in Super Rugby) play with 4 props. That is their falnkers move up and bind onto the opposition Prop. Why bother having assistant refs if these things are not going to be stopped.
I fully expect that Crusaders and Kiwi fans will attack me over this but hey the truth hurts. I haven't liked the Crusaders since Justin Marchall got away with swearing at Andre Watson, giving him the finger and having a generally girly hissy fit on the field and didn't even get a penalty awarded against him for it in a Super 12 Final a couple of years ago. Seems to be that some teams get refereed differently via their perceived strengths instead of what actually happens.
This game had all the makings of being a cracker but has ended up in farce simply because most unaligned observed would have cause to question the result no matter who won. It is a disgrace on SANZAR that Lawrence is still getting to ref given the number of games he has been involved in which end in this same controversy.