Super 14

The Crusaders were made to work hard for a 32-17 win over a willing Highlanders team in their First Round Super 14 match in Christchurch on Saturday.

The most pleasing aspect for the Crusaders, apart from holding out a strong challenge from the visitors, would be that they collected a bonus point for four tries.

In a game that started in cloudy conditions, with a strong southerly breeze swirling around in the stadium, the Crusaders held a 10-0 lead after a first half in which they may well have played a bit too much rugby inside their own half.

They will know that it was not a perfect game and indeed there were errors aplenty, but as captain Kieran Read said, you take the win and move on to the next week.

Highlanders captain Jimmy Cowan admitted that giving the Crusaders an early lead is what had undone them - trailing 0-10 at half-time and 0-15 early in the second half.

"Yes, we were slow out the blocks, but we made a game of it in the second half," Cowan added.

And as was to be expected, there was lots of focus on Dan Carter - back in Super Rugby after his French sabbatical last year - and he was very involved from early on. He showed his full array of skills, by putting a couple of players into space and his tactical appreciation is still as great as ever.

His influence was obvious for all to see, with the Crusaders attack looking very fluent and threatening.

The first real scoring opportunity came in the sixth minute, when Dan Carter lined up his first penalty since returning to Super Rugby - following his French sabbatical. However, the swirling wind seemed to push the ball away and Carter's kick drifted wide of the uprights.

With the Crusaders continuing to pile on the pressure, it was only a matter of time before the ball would be over the whitewash, but the Highlanders defence managed to hold it up when a pile of bodies went over ion the 13th minute.

A few scrums later and the Crusaders had another penalty, conceded by a Highlanders team defending under immense pressure. Carter again went for the posts and this time he made no mistakes - 3-0 after 15 minutes.

The inevitable soon happened, as another series of raids pinned the Highlanders back near their own line and Crusaders scrumhalf Andy Ellis sniped over for the first try from a ruck just a metre out. Carter's conversion made it 10-0 after 21 minutes.

In that first quarter the Crusaders had all the possession and territory - taking the ball through more than 30 rucks and forcing the Highlanders to make 35 tackles.

The Highlanders finally managed to get their hands on some ball and in the 25th minute earned a breakdown penalty - giving Matt Berquist a shot at goal. It wasn't a good strike and was well wide.

And the visitors now launched a couple of strong raids, one that ended with James Paterson knocking on a pass from Israel Dagg with the Crusaders line begging.

Despite enjoying much more possession and forcing the home team to make 30-odd tackles in the second quarter, the Highlanders simply could not breach a very solid Crusaders defensive line and the score stayed at 10-0 going into the break.

Late in the half the Highlanders lost flyhalf Matt Berquist with an ankle injury, with Michael Hobbs - picked up in the draft - being handed the pivotal role.

The Crusaders stretched their lead early in the second half with a Jared Payne try - coming after a stray pass, bouncing off a knee, was pounced on by the 'Saders flyer. Carter's conversion attempt shaved the upright on the wrong side, but at 15-0 (47th minute) it left the visitors with a mountain to climb.

And they wasted no time, with Hobbs - son of famous Cantabrian and All Black Jock Hobbs - handing off Carter to go over for the Highlanders' first try. It was set up by some strong running earlier from wing Ben Smith. Hobbs added the conversion and at 7-15 the visitors were right back in the game.

However, soon afterwards Carter was presented with a penalty shot at goal, after the Highlanders' All Black prop Jamie Mackintosh was penalised for not scrumming straight. Carter slotted the kick to make it an 11-point lead (18-7) after 53 minutes.

Hobbs was again the man to narrow the gap for the Highlanders, following a period of continuity and ball control from the visitors, with Josh Bekhuis with a powerful surge down the right touchline. Hobbs collected a pop-pass close to the line and accelerated through a couple of Crusaders tackles. He added the conversion and had scored all 14 the Highlanders' points after 58 minutes - 14-18.

This certainly put the spark back into a game that drifted towards tedium in the latter stages of the first half.

And with the final quarter looming, the Highlanders had squared up the possession stakes, also forcing the Crusaders to make well in access of 50 tackles.

Macintosh was again penalised, this time for collapsing a maul, and it handed Carter another opportunity to stretch the lead. However, he pushed it wide.

When Crusaders lock Sam Whitelock was penalised for going off his feet at a ruck, Hobbs had a shot from just outside the 22 - stretching his, and his team's, tally to 17 in a one-point game (17-18).

The Crusaders, as they so often do, opened up the game going into the final 10 minutes with a brilliant Guildford try. It came from some swift counter-attacking, with the scoring pass coming from Andy Ellis and Guildford running into the channel 'protected' by the referee. Carter's conversion made it 25-17 with seven minutes remaining.

Hobbs had a shot at goal, another penalty at the breakdown, with five minutes left on the clock. It was just away to the right.

The Crusaders got their bonus-point try right on the full-time hooter, with Sean Maitland scoring after some desperate passing by the Highlanders as they were chasing a bonus-pint of their own. Carter's conversion made it 32-17 in the end, a deserved win.

Man of the match: Many will look to Dan Carter for his influence on the game. He indeed brought some fluency to the Crusaders backline and put in a great first-half hit on Matt Berquist. However, we are opting for 22-year-old Michael Hobbs - a draft specialist. The Highlanders' replacement flyhalf had a big impact on the game when he came on for an injured Matt Berquist late in the first half. He also had a couple of lapses and is not the finished product yet, but his is  an enormous talent. Considering that he has been unwanted in several other teams - he spent two years at the Reds Academy, then joined Wellington in 2008 and was drafted to the Blues in 2009. Hobbs was picked up in the draft by the Highlanders this year. Watch this space.

The scorers:

For the Crusaders:
Tries: Ellis, Payne, Guildford, Maitland
Cons: Carter 3
Pens: Carter 2

For the Highlanders:
Tries: Hobbs 2
Cons: Hobbs 2
Pen: Hobbs

Teams:

Crusaders: 15 Colin Slade, 14 Jared Payne, 13 Robbie Fruean, 12 Tim Bateman, 11 Zac Guildford, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Andy Ellis, 8 Thomas Waldrom, 7 George Whitelock, 6 Kieran Read (captain), 5 Isaac Ross, 4 Sam Whitelock, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Ti'i Paulo, 1 Ben Franks.
Replacements: 16 Quentin MacDonald, 17 Peter Borlase, 18 Brad Thorn, 19 Jonathan Poff, 20 Kahn Fotuali'i, 21 Adam Whitelock, 22 Sean Maitland.

Highlanders: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Ben Smith, 13 Jason Shoemark, 12 Jayden Hayward, 11 James Paterson, 10 Matt Berquist, 9 Jimmy Cowan (captain), 8 Nasi Manu, 7 Alando Soakai, 6 Adam Thomson, 5 Tom Donnelly, 4 Josh Bekhuis, 3 Clint Newland, 2 Jason Rutledge, 1 Jamie Mackintosh (vice-captain).
Replacements: 16 Jason Macdonald, 17 Chris King, 18 Hayden Triggs, 19 John Hardie, 20 Sean Romans, 21 Michael Hobbs, 22 Fetu'u Vainikolo.

Referee: Chris Pollock (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Vinny Munro (New Zealand), Josh Noonan (New Zealand)
TMO: Kane McBride (New Zealand)