April 29 (Reuters) – A rampaging Robbie Fruean scored a try
in each half to fire the Canterbury Crusaders to a 37-33 away
win over the New South Wales Waratahs in their Super Rugby match
in Sydney on Sunday.
The dashing outside centre with a mohawk hairstyle also set
up a third as the Crusaders ratcheted up the pressure in the
second half then fended off a late fightback to secure their
sixth win of the season.
Replacement Sarel Pretorius scored a 74th minute try which
Berrick Barnes converted to bring the Waratahs within four
points, but the Crusaders held firm in the closing minutes to
strengthen their bid for a wildcard berth in the playoffs.
“Really stoked to come away with a win there. Really tough
game,” Crusaders number eight Kieran Read said in a pitchside
interview. “Both teams showed their intent early (but) it was
just nice to come away with a win.”
The Crusaders also welcomed back New Zealand’s World
Cup-winning captain Richie McCaw from a prolonged foot injury,
the 31-year-old loose forward coming on as a replacement early
in the second half.
The visitors had the best of the first half but only took a
14-13 lead into the break after conceding the match’s first try
to winger Atieli Pakalani from a botched line-out.
The hosts quickly spread the ball wide where Barnes fed a
straight-running Adam Ashley-Cooper, who broke through the
Crusaders line and dished off to Pakalani to cross at the right
corner.
Fruean stole the momentum six minutes later when he burst
through a pack of players, then bamboozled a clutch of defenders
before crossing beneath the posts.
The outside centre then dashed down the left touch-line in
the 34th minute and though held up by Barnes in the last line of
defence, managed to off-load to winger Zac Guildford, who
crossed for the Crusaders’ second.
Number eight Wycliff Palu briefly gave the Waratahs the lead
six minutes after the break when he scooped up a ball that
popped out of a rolling maul and thundered over the line.
But Adam Whitlock snatched the lead back minutes later with
a try before Fruean capped a virtuoso display with his second in
the 54th minute.
An All Blacks-laden chain of passes from Israel Dagg and
Guildford ended with the dynamic midfielder, who shrugged off a
limp tackle from inside centre Tom Carter on the left touch-line
and charged over the line in another play certain to draw the
attention of New Zealand’s national selectors.
Taylor’s conversion made it 34-23 and though Pretorius’s
late try buoyed the crowd of 30,000, the Crusaders won a late
scrum to seal the match and consign the Waratahs to their fifth
loss of the season.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by John
O’Brien)
