Match Report – Blues 7 – 21 Crusaders

Crusaders become inaugural Super Rugby Pacific champions after dominant 21-7 win over Blues in Saturday’s final; fly-half Richie Mo’unga kicks 11 points as Crusaders end Blues’ 15-match winning streak; Bryan Hall and Sevu Reece with tries for Crusaders

Crusaders claimed their 11th Super Rugby title and became the first Super Rugby Pacific champions

Crusaders secured an 11th Super Rugby title as they snapped Blues’ 15-match winning streak with a dominant 21-7 victory in Saturday’s all-New Zealand final at a sold-out Eden Park in Auckland.

Richie Mo’unga scored two penalties and a drop goal and also converted a first-half try scored by Bryn Hall, while Crusaders wrapped up the game when Sevu Reece touched down a couple of minutes from time.

The Christchurch side become the first Super Rugby Pacific champions and add another trophy to their haul, having won the three previous editions of Super Rugby before the coronavirus pandemic.

Crusaders led 13-0 at half-time and extended that advantage to 16-0 shortly early in the second period when Mo’unga kicked his second penalty of a largely flawless display.

Crusaders celebrate Bryn Hall’s try during their 21-7 victory over Blues in the Super Rugby Pacific Final

However, Blues rallied with their solitary try just before the hour mark as Finlay Christie went over.

That score gave the Auckland-based team hope they could complete a stunning turnaround in their home stadium and clinch a first full Super Rugby crown since 2003, when they beat Crusaders 21-17 in the final.

Blues applied pressure after that but Reece’s try took the game beyond them at a rain-soaked Eden Park, with the winger latching onto a defensive mistake.

Crusaders lock Sam Whitelock said: “We’ve always talked about effort on both sides of the ball. It’s not always about scoring points, sometimes it’s about stopping them from scoring.”

Blues fly-half Beauden Barrett added: “Tonight wasn’t our night, we really weren’t good enough. It was really disappointing.

“We had a good season and we wanted to come here and do a job here tonight. It’s a tough one to swallow.”