Crusaders come from behind to inflict 23-22 loss on Waratahs

THE Waratahs' heartbreak in Christchurch continued with yet another loss to the Crusaders.

SO close, yet so agonisingly far. The Waratahs' heartbreak in Christchurch continued with yet another loss, stretching their run of defeats to the Crusaders out to 11 in a row.

Dan Carter was yet again the man who twisted the knife, helping the home side rally from a 22-10 Waratahs lead in the second half to claw back in front by one point with two late penalties.

The Waratahs, having dominated for most of the night, had one final chance to claim victory when after four scrum re-sets and with the siren sounding in the background, they won a penalty from 40m out.

With Brendan McKibbin off the field, reserve Berrick Barnes stepped up for the hero shot but pushed it right to give the sheepish Crusaders the victory.

"It was a get out of jail that,'' said forward George Whitelock . "We were lucky to get away with it."

The result was the same, and so too was the man playing villain in the red No.10, but this was not a defeat from the standard NSW-Crusaders script.

The Waratahs looked shattered post-match after outplaying the Kiwi heavyweights for much of the game.

waratahs v crusaders

Rattling the Crusaders from the opening stages with good defensive intensity, the Tahs then shocked the hosts with an onslaught of up-tempo attack.

Using good width and superb breakdown efficiency, the Tahs kept the Crusaders on the back-foot for long periods and finally broke down their strong defence when Cam Crawford broke through near the line for a try in the 21st minute.

The Waratahs scored the try of the night - and potentially their season - in the 34th minute.

A set play with a decoy saw Michael Hooper take a pass and race upfield.

The flanker skinned Israel Dagg on the outside, and then offloaded to Peter Betham, who wrestled off Dagg and three others to dive over in the corner.

The Crusaders got a try just before halftime through Corey Flynn, but when Dave Dennis  set up Foley for a runaway score in the 44th minute, the Tahs led 22-10.

But then the Crusaders began to claw back.

Pinning the Tahs in their own half with better defence, and some friendly calls from Kiwi ref Glenn Jackson, the Saders scored again through Matt Todd via a rolling maul.

Carter knocked over two long range goals in the last 10 minutes to take the lead, and ultimately pocket another win. Somehow.

Dennis, who left the field with a bad cork, said it was a tough loss to take but praised his team's spirit.

"I thought our attitude tonight was really good. We came here with the right attitude, but obviously were one kick short,'' Dennis said.

It is never going to be easy here. It was hard in the second half but I really thought we could hang on there, unfortunately we didn't.''

CRUSADERS 23 (Corey Flynn, Matt Todd tries Daniel Carter 2 cons 3 pens) bt NSW WARATAHS 22 (Peter Betham, Cam Crawford, Bernard Foley tries Brendan McKibbin 2 cons pen) at Christchurch Stadium. Referee: Glen Jackson.

waratahs v crusaders

waratahs v crusaders