G’day G&GRs. Well, Super Rugby Pacific is over for another year, with the crowning of the Crusaders as 2025 Champions. In other words, we have resumed normal programming. In addition to this, the BILs played their first warm-up game against the FISMs! So plenty of rugby on our screens.
So let’s dive into the SRP final, and have a look at the British and Irish Lions game against the Argentinians, Brisney style. Pour a large cup of the good stuff☕, and let’s talk about the game they play in heaven.
Super Rugby Pacific Grand Final
Crusaders 16 defeated Chiefs 12
Crusaders Grind Out Another Title in Grit-Fest Against Gutsy Chiefs – Well, the Crusaders have done it again. In front of their red-and-black faithful in Christchurch, the Saders have clinched their 13th Super Rugby title – yep, thirteenth – edging out a brave but ultimately outmuscled Chiefs outfit, 16-12. That win also marks their 32nd consecutive home finals victory. Thirty. Bloody. Two. It’s not just a fortress down there, it’s a full-blown Mordor – and the Chiefs were Frodo with a torn hamstring.
But this wasn’t champagne rugby. This was trench warfare – all mud, muscle, and missed chances. Both sides came in swinging, but it was the Crusaders’ ever-reliable dark arts at scrum time and just enough from the boot of Rivez Reihana that got them over the line.
The match started with a bang – David Havili doing his best WWE audition with a clumsy high shot on Emoni Narawa. A one-way ticket to the naughty chair in the 12th minute, and the Chiefs didn’t waste the overlap. Big George Dyer crashed over, the visitors up early, and the home crowd momentarily stunned into silence. But if you’ve watched even one Crusaders final in the past decade, you knew the response was coming. And sure enough, up stepped Codie “I-do-everything” Taylor, popping up on the blindside like a sneaky tradie dodging the foreman. Try time. Game on.
From there, the Saders turned up the pressure at set pieces like it was a finals tradition, which, let’s be honest, it is. The Chiefs, plucky as they were, couldn’t keep the piggies honest. Two penalties to Reihana gave the hosts the edge, but Shaun Stevenson – aka “He Who Scores Silky Tries” – pegged one back just before oranges, slicing through to make it 13-12 at the break.
Second half? Tense as your uncle’s shoulders watching the Wallabies defend a 3-point lead. No tries, just bruises and scrums and held-up mauls. Lio-Willie went close, Havili crossed (but was called back for offside – karma?), and the final dagger came from – what else? – a penalty off a dominant Crusaders scrum. Reihana split the uprights, the lead stretched to four, and that was curtains. The Chiefs huffed and puffed but couldn’t blow down the Canterbury walls.
The Final Wash-Up
The Crusaders lift another trophy, raise more eyebrows, and probably break several calculators trying to tally their total titles. The Chiefs? Heartbreak City for the third Final in a row.
Three Things We Learned
1. The Scrum Is Still King – In a game where attacking flair was caged, it was the set-piece that reigned supreme. The Crusaders’ front row put on a clinic, and it’s no coincidence that the winning points came off the back of their dominance at the coalface.
2. Crusaders’ Mentality Is Ruthless – Even when they’re not playing champagne footy, the Crusaders simply know how to win. Finals footy is in their DNA, and they absorbed pressure like a sponge, then ground out the result like pros.
3. The Chiefs Deserved Better – But Finals Are Cruel – Three straight Finals. Three straight heartbreaks. The Chiefs have the squad and the fight, but when it comes to the big dance, they keep tripping at the final step. They’re close… but close doesn’t get you silverware.
British and Irish Lions – First Warm-Up Game
Los Pumas 28 defeated the British and Irish Lions 24
If you haven’t done so already, I highly recommend Keith’s excellent match report of this game, located here. I can’t give you the same detailed Northern Hemisphere knowledge that Butz can, but here is my take on the game, Brisney Style!
Los Pumas Party in Dublin: Argentina Stun Lions for Historic First Win – Well slap me with a stale churro and call me surprised — Los Pumas have only gone and done the unthinkable, rolling the mighty British & Irish Lions in their own backyard with a famous 28-24 boilover in Dublin. Yep, you read that right. Argentina. Beating the Lions. In Dublin. First time ever. Cue the tango on Grafton Street.
Coach Andy Farrell’s Lions outfit looked more like a pride of confused kittens than kings of the jungle, as they failed to crack the blue-and-white wall late in the piece. It was a rough night for the hosts, and a ripper for the history books. From the opening whistle, the Pumas made it clear they weren’t there for a Guinness and a sing-along — they came to scrap. Flyhalf Tomás Albornoz had himself a blinder, putting up 16 first-half points, including a peach of a try just before oranges. That gave the visitors a 21-10 lead at the break, and let me tell you, they were loving it.
The Lions came out after the break breathing fire — a penalty try (thanks to a crumbled maul and a binned Mayco Vivas) gave them a sniff, and Tadhg Beirne made the home crowd roar with a tidy meat pie to hand the hosts the lead. But as every seasoned punter knows, when you bet against Argentina, they tend to tango right over you. Enter stage left: Santiago bloody Cordero. With Albornoz and wrecking ball No.8 Joaquín Oviedo punching holes, Matías Moroni put in a cheeky little chip, and Cordero turned it into a try-of-the-year contender — slicing the Lions’ momentum clean in half.
The Lions pressed hard in the dying minutes — hell, they even crossed the chalk a couple of times, but got pinged for knock-ons. A few more butchered chances and some absolute mongrel defence from the Pumas, and boom — history made. It’s the first time Argentina have ever beaten the Lions, and mate, they’ll be milking this one for the next 50 years.
Three Things We Learned
1. Tomás Albornoz is the Real Deal – He didn’t just steer the ship — he put the rudder in, raised the sails, and sailed it right through Lions territory. Sixteen points and a try before halftime? Give the bloke a steak and a statue.
2. The Pumas Pack Can Party and Defend – Sure, the Lions had a dominant scrum, but Argentina’s back-rowers, led by Oviedo, were brutal at the breakdown and brave on the line. That final 10-minute stand was pure granite.
3. The Lions Need to Find a Plan B – Big names, big bodies, but not a lot of spark. When the structure broke down, so did their ideas. They looked flustered and a bit lost, and Argentina sniffed it out.
Final Thought – If this is a sign of what’s to come from Los Pumas in the next cycle, the rest of the rugby world better sit up and take note. The South Americans aren’t just dancing anymore — they’re swinging. And the Lions? Time to head back to the drawing board — and maybe the psychologist’s couch.
Anyway GAGRs! Super Rugby is over for the year, and the BILs are coming. There is plenty of time to debate the Wobs’ lineup for our first test against the boys from F1J1. So, enough of this old man gibbering shite. Over to you, GAGRs! Have at it!
