Jordan and Reece at the double as Crusaders crush Reds

The Crusaders have done what the rest of their New Zealand counterparts could not this weekend. They won - their rampaging performance against the Reds this afternoon shooting them up the Super Rugby leaderboard.

Their 43-19 bonus point victory in bright sunshine in Christchurch which took them from 11th - last place - to fourth was built on hunger on both sides of the ball and a set piece which meant the Reds struggled to gain a foothold on the game.

The Crusaders were also fortunate to have two outside backs in supreme form. Sevu Reece and Will Jordan scored two tries each and created issues for the opposition defence every time they got the ball.

Reece’s 60th and 61st tries in Super Rugby took him to third overall in the history of the competition behind only Julian Savea and TJ Perenara, with Jordan scoring his 39th and 40th in only 55 matches.

“Our defence took a big step up and we stayed in it for 80 minutes which was a big thing for us,” Jordan said afterwards.

Crusaders’ right wing Chay Fihaki was also in good form – his kick through for Jordan’s second try a triumph of vision and execution.

The Crusaders scored seven tries in total and were far more efficient with the ball than the Reds, who made inroads and scored three themselves but were second best in terms of their kicking game and ability to retain possession.

Playing into a strong breeze in the first half, the Reds, probably aware of Jordan’s counter-attacking ability, opted for a short kicking strategy which meant they rarely got outside their half. They were also determined to throw offloads in contact, many of which went to ground or into Crusaders’ players’ hands.

By comparison, the home side had a far more rounded attacking game, and their defensive efforts, led by loose forward Ethan Blackadder and lock Scott Barrett were both impactful and destructive.

Hooker Codie Taylor was busy in his first game of the season, with the Crusaders bench providing impact; loose forward Corey Kellow, hooker Ioane Moananu and midfielder Levi Aumua all contributing.

The Crusaders’ position leading into this game was slightly misleading given they had the bye last weekend, but, after beating the Hurricanes at home in round one, they were given a harsh lesson in a beat-down by the Chiefs in Hamilton in round two before their weekend off.

It’s important to note, too, that the Reds were unbeaten leading into this, but, after a weekend of upsets, this one probably went to form, although in this competition few things can be assumed which is one of the reasons why it has quickly become so compelling.

Crusaders coach Rob Penney said: “We’re still not where we want to be but the groundwork is being laid for what could be a lovely campaign.”

Crusaders 43 (Sevu Reece 2, Will Jordan 2, Cullen Grace, Christian Lio-Willie, Levi Aumua tries; Taha Kemara 3 cons, James O’Connor con)

Reds 19 (Filipo Daugunu, Harry Wilson, Lachie Anderson tries; Harry McLaughlin-Phillips con)

Halftime: 29-14