(Reuters) – Scott “Razor” Robertson’s seven-year reign as Canterbury Crusaders coach ended as it started on Saturday when he led them to the Super Rugby Pacific title with victory over the Waikato Chiefs in a dramatic final.
The 48-year-old former Crusaders loose forward performed his trademark break-dance on the Waikato Stadium pitch to celebrate a seventh title in seven years, a last dance before he heads off to take over at the All Blacks after the World Cup.
The COVID pandemic presented huge challenges to all teams but there can be little doubt that this season’s title was among the hardest earned of the lot for the Christchurch-based side.
Dealing with an injury list that would have crippled most teams, the Crusaders lost four regular seasons games and had to rely on their traditional late-season surge to ensure they were where they needed to be for the playoffs.
On Saturday, they travelled to the form team of the competition, who had beaten them home and away this year, and toughed out a 25-20 win in front of 25,000 hostile fans.
“We talked about going to heaven this year but we had to go through hell first,” said hooker Codie Taylor, who scored two of the team’s tries on Saturday.
“I think we did that earlier in the season and then really finished it off tonight. It wasn’t easy, but it’s something special.”
Captain Scott Barrett said there had been plenty of adversity this season but that the coaches and the winning culture at the Crusaders had got them through.
“We probably had the longest list of injuries but we didn’t want to make that an excuse and we just trusted the next guy,” he said.
“The coaches did a great job at upskilling the young boys coming in, and there’s plenty of debutants as well – so proud of them.”
Barrett also paid tribute to two veteran players departing the Crusaders – flyhalf Richie Mo’unga and lock Sam Whitelock, who was named man of the match in his 181st and final game for the team before he heads off to Europe.
“There’s two guys who have given a lot to this jersey, Richie and Sam, and I think it’s an awesome way to send them off, as well as some of the coaching group,” he said.
Mo’unga, who will leave for Japan after the World Cup, scored a try and kicked 10 points in the final to help the Crusaders to a 14th Super Rugby title of various sorts.
“Man, this club’s my life, it really is my whole life, the best in the world, I’m just so proud to be a Crusader,” he said.
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Ken Ferris)
