The Crusaders sealed a golden-point victory over the Hurricanes as David Havili's drop goal settled a memorable contest in extra time.
Havili's heroics secured a 30-27 triumph for the four-time defending champions against Super Rugby Aotearoa's rock-bottom side on Sunday.
It was a thrilling clash in Wellington, in which the Crusaders bounced back from last weekend's surprise loss to the Highlanders, who on Saturday were on the wrong end of Super Rugby's first golden-point result.
The win takes Scott Robertson's Crusaders eight points clear of the Blues at the summit.
@crusadersrugby 30 (George Bridge 2, Sevu Reece tries; Richie Mo’unga 3 con, 2 pen, David Havili dg) @Hurricanesrugby 27 (Ngani Laumape, Julian Savea, Wes Goosen tries; Jordie Barrett 3 con, 2 pen). HT: 17-17. FT: 27-27. #HURvCRU #Forever #GoldenPoint #LoveThisGame pic.twitter.com/ZtyJKY86QQ
— Crusaders (@crusadersrugby) April 11, 2021
George Bridge touched down twice early on as it appeared the visitors were setting themselves up for a routine win.
But the Hurricanes had other ideas, Ngani Laumape showing a turn of speed to sprint clear and dot down.
Then, after Richie Mo'unga's penalty, Julian Savea collected James Blackwell's pass to cross the line, with Jordie Barrett levelling matters with the conversion.
Laumape's yellow card did little to stifle the Hurricanes' momentum as Wes Goosen exploited a gap in the Crusaders defence to grab a try, the hosts taking a 27-20 lead.
That, however, was as good as it got for the Hurricanes, with Seva Reece's converted try taking the game to extra time, where Havili had the final say.
