Crusaders captain David Havili scores match-winning try against the Chiefs in Christchurch

Saturday, 23 May 2026

At One New Zealand Stadium, Christchurch: Crusaders 36 (Leicester Fainga’anuku try 19min, Jamie Hannah try 29min, Christian Lio-Willie try 37min, Johnny McNicholl tries 51min, 69min, David Havili try 75min; Rivez Reihana con, Taha Kemara 2 con) Chiefs 32 (Kyren Taumoefolau try 6min, Samisoni Taukei’aho try 24min, Josh Lord try 33min, Quinn Tupaea try 54min; Josh Jacomb 3 con, 2 pen). HT: 17-19

It doesn’t get a heck of a lot more clutch than that.

Crusaders captain David Havili set up his match-winning try with a booming 50-22 to lead his team to a pulsating victory over the Chiefs.

The thrilling 36-32 win in Christchurch on Friday night kept the Crusaders’ hopes of finishing third and securing a home qualifying alive, and marked their third straight win over the Chiefs.

And you can guarantee the defending champions will take extra satisfaction in the comeback win, given Chiefs Tupou Vaa’i and Samipeni Finau got ahead of themselves and rubbed the heads of a couple of Crusaders earlier in the match.

Havili’s 75th minute match-winner nearly lifted the roof off of One New Zealand Stadium, after he took a Leicester Fainga’anuku offload and dived over.

The Crusaders had trailed 32-24 with 15 minutes to play, after Josh Jacomb slotted a penalty goal - a decision the Chiefs will look back at and think they should have instead gone for the kill.

But they didn’t, and the hosts made them pay. First, when Johnny McNicholl scored his second, before Havili, standing on his own 22 metre line, found touch 10 metres out from the try-line to wind the crowd up.

Chiefs coach Jono Gibbes could barely believe what he had seen, then and when the Crusaders butchered the lineout - only for Jacomb to drop the ball cold as they attempted to run it out.

The Crusaders cashed in the Jacomb blunder, but weren’t home and hosed yet.

In a match full of punches and counter-punches, loose forward Christian Lio-Willie, a stand out all night, looked to have sealed the deal after earning a breakdown penalty.

But the odd decision for Taha Kemara to take a long-range penalty nearly back-fired with time up, as it came up short and the Chiefs broke out into the Crusaders’ half.

Havili continued his immense second half, making a crucial covering tackle before the ball popped loose to seal the victory.

Indeed, it was not to be for the visitors, who can essentially forget about finishing atop the log after walking away with nothing more than a losing bonus point.

They will rue their inability to kick on and put the Crusaders away on a night they played a ton of good rugby without the injured Damian McKenzie.

That was highlighted by the picture-perfect try Quinn Tupaea scored shortly after the Crusaders got their noses in front for the first time of the match in the 52nd minute.

Tupaea, who was again outstanding, went over untouched via a set piece beauty, as the Chiefs continued the theme of punishing Crusaders’ ill-discipline with clinical execution inside the 22.

The Crusaders will feel ill when they watch back the tape and re-live how easily Chiefs hooker Samisoni Taukei’aho scored via a rolling maul in the first half.

Indeed, the rolling maul is the Crusaders’ pride and joy - both defensively and on attack - and the Chiefs melted them with a clinical lineout drive.

In scenes also seen in Hamilton earlier this year, Vaa’i kicked off the celebrations by staring down All Blacks teammate Fletcher Newell and giving the top of his head a thorough massage.

The Chiefs’ pack was excellent in the carry, led by No 8 Wallace Sititi carrying with punch and power, while their lineout put all sorts of pressure on the hosts.

Their scrum also earned a statement penalty against the feed early in the second half, which Jacomb knocked over to put them 22-17 up.

The arch rivals traded blows from the moment referee James Doleman blew the opening whistle, scoring three tries apiece in the first half.

Only a Jacomb conversion separated the teams at the split, with the visitors 19-17 ahead in their pursuit to hand the Crusaders their first loss in their new stadium.

They started the better of the teams, capitalising on the Crusaders mistakes and ill-discipline to open the scoring through wing Kyren Taumoefolau, who muscled through Sevu Reece and Will Jordan tackles.

The Crusaders’ response was swift - loose forward Fainga’anuku muscled over from close range - moments after halfback Noah Hotham was barely scragged into touch after catching the Chiefs off-guard with a quick lineout.

And it continued for the remainder of the match, with the heavyweights going at each other in a worthy rematch of last year’s final.