Super Rugby Final 2022 it is all set for the Blues to face the Crusaders in the showpiece event at Eden Park. The Auckland Blues yesterday held off a late surge from the ACT Brumbies to win an Eden Park thriller 20-19 and set up an all-New Zealand Super Rugby final against the Canterbury Crusaders at the same ground next week.
How to watch Crusaders Super Rugby Pacific Final 2022
Crusaders Super Rugby final games will be available to watch live on Stan.
Every match. Ad-Free / Kicks off June 18
The weekly Saturday night match will be simulcast live free-to-air on the Nine Network.
No offence to the Chiefs or Brumbies, who both lost their semifinals in rather different circumstances, but the Super Rugby Pacific needed a final at Eden Park and it needed to be between the Blues and Crusaders. It had been foretold since the early rounds; once it became clear that the two powerhouses would probably avoid each other in the playoffs till the big dance, they just needed to make sure they got there.
Both the Blues and Crusaders did it the hard way. A lot has been made of the Crusaders’ feat of 200-odd tackles on Friday night, but they also got there off the back of a Chiefs side that threw the ball away when they should have scored tries, and kicked for touch when they should have taken penalty shots at goal.
The Blues had a 20-7 lead at halftime, but were held scoreless after the break as the Canberra-based Brumbies grabbed two tries off lineout drives to cut the deficit to a single point with three minutes to play.
Brumbies flyhalf Noah Lolesio had a drop goal charged down by prop Ofa Tuungafasi as the final few seconds ticked away and the Blues survived for a 15th successive victory and a spot in the title decider.
Blues fullback Stephen Perofeta hit back with a penalty in the 10th minute, but the Brumbies were soon back on the attack and rolled a maul to within inches of another try.
Surge after surge failed to get the ball over the line and when the Brumbies were held up, flyhalf Barrett’s line-dropout targeted injured flanker Tom Hooper, who knocked on.
Another penalty after 20 minutes cut the deficit to 7-6 and the Blues were soon ahead with No. 8 Hoskins Sotutu touching down after a move featuring some sensational running from Perofeta, Rieko Ioane and Barrett.
Winger Mark Telea crossed 11 minutes later after another irresistible display of power running and the Blues went into the break with a comfortable 20-7 lead and the job apparently half done.
The Brumbies came out firing in the second half, and gained a man advantage in the 54th minute when Blues hooker Kurt Eklund was shown a yellow card for a tip tackle.
Barrett and Perofeta held up Brumbies attackers over the line before replacement hooker Lachlan Lonergan finally got the ball onto the ground from a trademark Brumbies rolling maul just before the hour mark.
“We showed a lot of heart in the second half, gave ourselves an opportunity to win this game but just didn’t ice it there in the end,” Brumbies captain Allan Alaalatoa said.
The Crusaders, 10-time champions of Super Rugby competitions, marched into the final with a 20-7 win over the Waikato Chiefs in Friday’s first semi-final.