Crusaders Vs Brumbies

We went to our first Super 14 rugby match last night in support of the Crusaders. Luckily for us, the stadium is only a 20 minute walk away which is going to be very handy for future events held there.

Before the match started, riders on horseback galloped around the side of the pitch waving swords at the crowd to get them in the mood for the first (home) game of the season.

With the weather still in torrential rain mode and coming down heavily, we buried ourselves under our macs and plastic bin bags and hollered when the Crusaders took to the field.

It would be an interesting match as the pitch was a sheet of water and close to being waterlogged and it proved a vital role in countless handling errors and turnovers as the ball slipped out of wet hands and was sucked into the ground instead of bouncing which saved the Brumbies from scoring in the first half and sent their man eating puddles instead of scoring a try.

Once the game settled down after the first 10 minutes, the Crusaders took control of the match and it was clear that they were outmatching the opponents which was clearly illustrated by the end scoreline. Despite Dan Carter mis-kicking some arguably easy points, he racked up a considerable score advantage with 4 conversions and 2 penalty goals. With the bonus point being picked up, it now puts them at the top of the table so a great start to the season.

The next few matches will have to be followed on TV as they face-off against the Bulls in Pretoria, the Stormers in Cape Town and the Force in Perth before returning to play the Cheetahs on March 15 so we'll certainly be getting tickets for that match and hopefully the scoreline will mirror last nights game with better weather to boot.