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The Crusaders strengthened their Super Rugby Pacific rivals to a second-place finish with a crushing victory over Fijian Dravid.
The 61-3 win at Christchurch’s Orangethiori Stadium on Friday was predicted, with nine of their unanswered attempts adding an easy lead against the newcomers as they battled Brumbis for second place.
Both sides started an equal round of points, with the 9-3 Crusaders boasting a low win but seven valuable bonus points and a win against Brumbis last weekend.
The Brumbeys will now have to beat the first-ranked Blues in Canberra to keep pace, ensuring a third-place finish.
It will set a quarter-final against the sixth-ranked team, either the NSW Waratah, who are sixth with 33 points, or the Queensland Reds, who are seventh with 31 points.
Captain Scott Barrett said: “As we dug deep into the Waratahs game (which they lost) and even the Blues, we looked at ourselves, our game, and the Crusaders began to lay the groundwork for rugby.”
“You will never forget these kinds of games. Force, we went back and there was a challenge against Brumbis last week and tonight was a lot harder than the scoreline suggested. “
Drua was able to combine the stages together with relative ease, but could not penetrate against the well-drilled host’s defenses.
And their turnover was penalized, with the Crusaders having four attempts in the first half and a crusade with a contest-high 10th for Leicester Fingaanuku in the second minute.
Flanker Tom Christie and Fijian-born All Black star Sevu Rees won the doubles while Fergus Burke, ranked No. 10 in place of resting Richie Munger, made an attempt and kicked all but one conversion.
Drew, originally based in their first season at Northern NSW, ended a campaign the following weekend with two wins against the Chiefs while the Crusaders hosted the Reds.
“Of course not our night, but the main thing is to learn from it against a champion team like the Crusaders,” said Drua captain Nemani Nagusa.
“You miss a few opportunities and you pay for it. But we will end up against the chiefs and come back stronger next year. ”
© AAP