What a wonderful Final! An edge-of-your-seat, chewing-your-nails Final that simply flew past till those last few seconds which went too quickly for the Crusaders, too slowly for the Waratahs.
It was a wonderful match on a wonderful Sydney evening in front of a wonderful crowd, a record attendance for a Final of 61 823.
It was a great occasion for Super Rugby, indeed for rugby.
Each side scored two tries and each side kicked goals, some of them remarkable but none as remarkable as that kick with seconds remaining that flew to the edge of Bernard Foley's power, declined but went over the crossbar and into victory, an historic victory.
Strange that it should happen thus, for earlier on the Waratahs looked to be cruising to victory. They monopolised possession, they were scoring points and the Crusaders looked a numb lot, but back the visitors came for three short bursts of about four minutes each when they led. In fact that could have been enough had Richie McCaw not been penalised 45 metres out with less than a minute to play and his side two points ahead.
There was a lessen in the match, the lessen the Sharks were taught last week: it is better to run with the ball in your hands than kick it into the air. Last week the Sharks kicked and were punished for it; this week the Crusaders suffered the same fate. Why anybody kicks onto Israel Folau and Kurtley Beale is a mystery.
The Waratahs' kicking and catching were better than the Crusaders' kicking and catching, and that included kicking kick-offs. But the Waratahs were not thralls of kicking. They ran and ran and kept possession, so that at half-time they had had 64% of possession.
It was a great night for the crowd, for New South Wales rugby and for Australia. Twice before the Crusaders had beaten the Waratahs in finals - but not this time, the crowning of the Waratahs' best season ever, unbeaten at home and winning their last 10 matches on the trot. It's good to end on top of the log but better to win the cup.
The Waratahs kicked off and started the running. Foley had a short burst and Matt Todd was penalised. Foley goaled. 3-0 after 2 minutes.
The Waratahs got the ball from a Crusader line-out throw and attacked left when a magnificent pass by Beale found Foley on an overlap. Foley was tackled and the Waratahs went right where Adam Ashley-Cooper broke through Ryan Crotty and past Sam Whitelock to score as Andy Ellis tried to stop him. It was a try for direct force. 8-0 after 4 minutes.
The Waratahs were getting and keeping possession and when Whitelock, at a ruck, kicked the ball from Nick Phipps's hands Foley goaled again. 11-0 after 10 minutes. When McCaw was penalised at a tackle, Foley made it 14-0 and the Crusaders had had no chance to be positive in the match.
The Crusaders ran for the first time after 15 minutes and soon opened their score.
The Crusaders attacked down the left. They lost the ball and Phipps flykicked downfield, deep into the Crusaders' half. Colin Slade got the ball and ran incisively in counterattack. He gave to Kieran Read who handled twice as the Crusaders raced down the right. Read gave to Todd who had Kieran Fonotia outside of him but Todd ran on, survived a harsh attempt to tackle by Ashley-Cooper and scored. 14-7 after 18 minutes.
Daniel Carter was penalised at a tackle and Foley made it 17-7. Michael Hooper was penalised and Slade made it 17-10 after 26 minutes.
There was just after this a sad sight when Dan Carter hobbled off, his right ankle clearly injured. Tom Taylor took his place.
The Waratahs went through phases but ran into rough Crusader defence.
Kane Douglas played a man in the air and then Wyatt Crockett was offside, and the half-time score was 20-13.
The Crusaders started behaving like Crusaders at the start of the second half and went through many phases till an Ellis pass found Nemani Nadolo who managed to squeeze in at the corner in Beale's tackle, a try confirmed by the TMO. From touch Slade converted. 20-20 after 42 minutes.
The Waratahs put the ball into only two scrums in the match and on both occasions they were penalised. When Sekope Kepu was penalised, Slade goaled and after 49 minutes of the match the Crusaders led 23-20, the first time they led in the match, but it did not last long as McCaw was penalised at a ruck and Foley drew the sides level at 23-all after 53 minutes.
Read had a massive run as he burst ahead on counterattack and then Kepu was penalised for a high tackle and Slade goaled. 26-23 to the Crusaders after 56 minutes.
The Waratahs had two goes at scoring. Hooper had a long burst to the 22 and Phipps was close on the left, but a turnover saved the Crusaders. From a line-out the Waratahs went through phases, 10 or more, till Ashley-Cooper burst past Dominic Bird's languid tackle and scored. 30-26 after 62 minutes.
Nadolo had a strong run down the left, Tolo Latu was penalised at a tackle and Slade made it 30-29 with 13 minutes to go.
It was agony for those 13 minutes.
Foley had a great break off a Beale pass and the Waratahs went through phases. But the next thing Nadolo beat Beale on the left but Phipps saved his side with a tackle. Then Latu went a long way offside and Slade gave his side a sniff of victory at 32-30 with five minutes to play.
There was less than a minute to play when McCaw was penalised at a tackle and Foley's cool kick won the match. There were still seconds to play but the Waratahs kept possession till the time was right for Brendan McKibbin to kick the ball into glee unbounded.
Man of the Match: Brendan Foley. He scored the points that counted, made telling breaks, brought off telling tackles and gave his backs the chance to run.
Moment of the Match: Brendan Foley's last, long penalty.
Villain of the Match: Nobody at all, not even remotely.
Captain18,570 posts
02 Aug 2014, 18:11
#1
02 Aug 2014, 18:11#1
The Waratahs have won their first ever Super Rugby title by holding off a rampaging Crusaders side 33-32 in Sydney on Saturday.
