Mauger tries seal Crusaders win

Aaron Mauger

Crusaders 27 Highlanders 13


Aaron Mauger struggled to remember the last time he snared a brace of tries after his double helped seal the Crusaders' victory over the Highlanders in Dunedin last night.

Considering he has played for the All Blacks, Crusaders and Canterbury since 2001, it is little wonder that results and scoring feats have all become a blur.

Amid a clogged rugby calendar, Mauger was unsure of his most recent double and thought it could have been during the successful Ranfurly Shield defence against Northland in 2002.

Indeed, Mauger did score twice in that 44-17 win at Jade Stadium but last year he also nabbed a double in the 36-15 win over the Chiefs in Hamilton.

Neither, though, was as important as the pair he collected on Saturday night.

Mauger's first try was the result of following up a neat grubber by fullback Leon MacDonald to give the Crusaders an 11-7 lead soon after halftime and the second - when he slid neatly through a gap in the tiring defence - forced the Highlanders' death rattle in the final minutes.

Collecting tries and milestones don't feature high on Mauger's priority list and he added the reputation of the Crusaders wings may have attributed to opportunities for other players.

"It's like a funny game really - sometimes you try your hardest for weeks and weeks and the tries don't come and in others they just pop and you take your chances," he said.

"Sometimes it's a bonus for us midfielders that the wings are scoring tries at the moment.

"Because they are such a threat, the defence worries about them as well and that can open up holes on the inside."

Wings Rico Gear and Caleb Ralph have collected 18 tries between them this season but it was Mauger and halfback Justin Marshall who dotted down against the Highlanders, with first five-eighth Daniel Carter kicking three conversions and two penalties. The television match official was required to judge whether Mauger had scored his first try but he was confident he had latched onto MacDonald's grubber.

The underdog Highlanders fought bravely but the injuries to Anton Oliver, Ben Blair and Anthony Tuitavake and the experience of the Crusaders proved too much.

The Highlanders led 7-6 at halftime and could have been further ahead if Blair hadn't missed two kickable penalties and spilled the ball when the tryline was open - although a later diagnosis that he had a broken hand was a valid excuse.

MacDonald's reliability at the fullback in difficult conditions was one of the highlights and the Crusaders' front row of Dave Hewett, Corey Flynn and Greg Somerville gained a points decision over their rivals in the scrums.

Loose forward Sam Broomhall, who joined play from the bench in the third quarter, may have been lucky to escape a yellow card for killing the ball late in the game.

- NZPA