Crusaders beat Rebels for second win in 2024; boost Super Rugby playoff hopes
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AP) — The defending champion Crusaders fanned their faint playoff hopes in Super Rugby Pacific Friday with a six-try, 39-0 win over the fourth-placed Melbourne Rebels.
The win was only the Crusaders’ second in nine games this season but temporarily bounced them off the bottom of the championship ladder and brightened their chances of reaching the quarterfinals with five matches remaining.
The Christchurch-based Crusaders fielded the biggest pack they could find and crushed the Rebels’ scrum, winning penalties and territory through the first 30 minutes. The Crusaders’ All Blacks props Fletcher Newell and George Bower dominated while the Rebels were forced to swap their entire front row in the 31st minute.
The Crusaders also freely poached the Rebels’ lineout ball, helped by the return from injury of All Blacks lock Scott Barrett.