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Clinical Crusaders master Lions once again
By Rob Lancaster
The Crusaders were once again tamed the Lions at Ellis Park as two second-half tries secured a 14-8 win in a repeat of last season's Super Rugby final.
Returning to the venue where they were crowned champions for an eighth time last August, the Crusaders struggled to turn their dominance into points before the break.
The Lions led 5-0 at the end of a first half plagued by penalties, Madosh Tambwe finishing a flowing move out wide to score the game's opening try.
However, the visitors - who saw Mitchell Hunt miss an early shot at the posts - seized control of the contest by crossing twice in the space of three second-half minutes.
After Sam Whitelock barged his way over from close range, Jack Goodhue capitalised on a fine burst from team-mate Manasa Mataele to touch down.
Hunt added both conversions and while Elton Jantjies cut the gap to six with a late penalty, the Crusaders held on in the closing stages to clinch a hard-fought victory on the road.
CRUSADERS 14 (Sam Whitelock, Jack Goodhue tries, Mitch Hunt 2 cons) LIONS 8 (Madosh Tambwe try, Elton Jantjies pen) HT 0-5
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Latest Comments
No, bugger off Schmidt, stop interfering in Australian rugby to keep us down
Your selections are rubbish and your game plan is unAustralian. Go back to NZ. Oh wait, you're actually still there ......
Go to commentsWhich is why more depth needs development. There are are several players waiting in the mix who will be good to great ABs. Our bench replacements this year were not always up to the mark
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