Super Rugby: Chiefs Edge Crusaders In Semi Final Thriller
by Brendan Bradford -
For the second year in a row the Chiefs and Crusaders have played the game of the season in a Super Rugby semi-final. And like 2012, the Chiefs won a nail-biter in Hamilton over their more celebrated Southern rivals.
Rebounding from a heavy defeat at the hands of the Christchurch-based side three weeks ago, the Chiefs fought back from a 9-3 halftime deficit with 17-unanswered points before the Crusaders nabbed a try and a penalty in a tense final quarter for a 20-19 fulltime score.
With the kind of passion only a local derby can conjure, this match had it all: immense skill, powerful forward play, tries, heroes and heartbreak.
The Chiefs started in typically high-octane, hard running fashion. Going wide with their first possession and taking a quick tap from a first minute penalty, the defending