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Sport | Rugby

Crusaders win tenth Super Rugby title

The Crusaders have defeated the Jaguares 19-3 in Christchurch tonight, sealing their third Super Rugby title in a row and tenth overall.

In a match dominated by defence, the boot of All Black first five Richie Mo’unga was crucial in the win. He knocked over three penalties in the second half to push the Crusaders to an unassailable lead, which meant they could sit back and let the Argentinians chance their arm at scoring tries.

Earlier, the only try of the game came when Matt Todd forced a turnover 40 metres out from the Jaguares’ line. The ball went wide to big Samuel Whitelock, who raced down the sideline and passed infield to Codie Taylor. The hooker then skipped out of a tackle to score in the corner.

Mo’unga’s conversion made it 7-3, after Joaquin Diaz Bonilla had opened the scoring for Jaguares with a penalty of his own.

Other than that, there weren’t many highlights in a tight game. Matias Moroni should’ve had a try in the first half, however the Jaguares winger was cut down in a fantastic tackle by David Havili as he dove for the line.

Todd was prominent throughout, and the Crusaders pack worked efficiently to dominate the scrum. But the Jaguares can be proud of their defence too - holding the Crusaders to only one try of their own was no mean feat in itself.

The game was also the last Super Rugby appearance for many of the Crusaders’ players, including All Black captain Kieran Read.

Crusaders 19 (C Taylor try; R Mo’unga 4 pen, con)

Jaguares 3 (J Diaz Bonilla pen)

HT: 7-3 Crusaders