Christchurch, New Zealand – The ACT Brumbies delivered a stunning 50-24 victory over the Canterbury Crusaders on Sunday, marking their first win in Christchurch since 2000 and inflicting the Crusaders’ largest home defeat in 23 years.
The defending Super Rugby Pacific champions, coming off a surprise loss to the Highlanders in Dunedin, conceded eight tries to four in a disjointed performance that echoed struggles from their 2024 season. The 50 points conceded equaled the most the Crusaders have allowed at home since 2001 and represented their second-largest home defeat in the competition’s 30-year history, according to Newsdirectory3.com.
Despite trailing 19-14 at halftime, playing against a strong breeze, the Brumbies seized control in the second half with a dominant attacking display. Veteran prop James Slipper, playing his 200th Super Rugby match, scored a try before being forced off with an injury. The Brumbies’ bonus-point victory places them at the top of the Super Rugby Pacific standings, level with the New South Wales Waratahs, who defeated the Fijian Drua 36-13 on Friday.
Crusaders captain David Havili described the performance as “frustrating,” acknowledging his team’s struggles at the breakdown. “We lost the breakdown again and once you get behind the Brumbies are a tough team to stop,” he said, adding, “There were a lot of mistakes from us.”
The Brumbies’ success follows a recent trend of breaking long-standing losing streaks in New Zealand, having ended a 12-year losing record against the Auckland Blues at Eden Park last year, as reported by Reuters.
The Crusaders’ discipline was repeatedly tested, with lock Antonio Shalfoon receiving a yellow card in the first half for offside, following a team warning, and flanker Dom Gardiner receiving one in the second half for a high tackle. The home side also lost the penalty count 10-5. Tries for the Crusaders came from Havili, Bell, Reece, and Faingaanuku, but were insufficient to counter the Brumbies’ relentless attack.
Brumbies tries were scored by Muirhead, Slipper, Cale (two), Pritchard, Bowron, Valetini, and Toole. Lonergan and Edmed successfully converted the Brumbies’ tries, even as Kemara converted for the Crusaders.
The Crusaders’ next match is a trip to Hamilton to face the Chiefs on Saturday night. The Chiefs secured a 26-23 win over the Highlanders on Saturday, while the Hurricanes defeated Moana Pasifika 52-10 in Wellington. The Auckland Blues also secured their first win of the season, beating the Western Force 42-32 in Perth.
