Crusaders' Jack Goodhue is tackled by Hurricanes' Ben May. Photo / Photosport
Crusaders' Jack Goodhue is tackled by Hurricanes' Ben May. Photo / Photosport
Beating the Crusaders at home is hard enough, but beating them in a home playoff game has proven to be impossible.
The defending champions hold a distinct home advantage going into Saturday's semifinal against the Hurricanes in Christchurch.
The Crusaders have played 22 previous home playoff games dating back to1998 and have won every time. Four of those were against the Hurricanes including last year's semifinal.
And it hasn't even been close in recent times. Last Saturday's 19-point victory over the Highlanders was the 10th straight time the Crusaders won a home playoff by 14 points or more.
In fact the closest a team has ever come to beating the Crusaders at home in a knockout game was the first time they hosted one – a 36-32 win over André Joubert's Coastal Sharks in 1998.
A glimmer of hope for the away team on Saturday? The last team to beat the Crusaders at home was the Hurricanes in their final regular season game in 2016. They've had 28 wins and a draw at home since - that draw coming against the Sharks earlier this year.
A Hurricanes fan reacts during the side's round robin loss to the Crusaders. Photo /Getty
The TAB lists the Crusaders as $1.19 favourites with the Hurricanes paying $4.70 to make the final.
The Crusaders are paying just $1.33 to win a 10th title.
Despite being the underdog in Christchurch, the Hurricanes are still second favourite to win the Super Rugby title, listed at $6.50 odds to lift the trophy next weekend. To do so they would need to win on the road against the Jaguares or the Brumbies.
Crusaders at home in 2019: Beat Hurricanes 38-22 Beat Chiefs 57-28 Beat Brumbies 36-14 Beat Highlanders 43-17 Beat Lions 36-10 Drew with Sharks 21-21 Beat Blues 19-11 Bat Rebels 66-0
Crusaders in home playoff games: 1998 – Won semifinal v Sharks 36-32 2000 – Won semifinal v Highlanders 37-15 2002 – Won semifinal v Highlanders 34-23 2002 – Won final v Brumbies 31-13 2003 – Won semifinal v Hurricanes 39-16 2004 – Won semifinal v Stormers 27-16 2005 – Won semifinal v Hurricanes 47-7 2005 – Won final v Waratahs 35-25 2006 – Won semifinal v Bulls 35-15 2006 – Won final v Hurricanes 19-12 2008 – Won semifinal v Hurricanes 33-22 2008 – Won final v Waratahs 20-12 2011 – Won qualifier v Sharks 36-8 2012 – Won qualifier v Bulls 28-13 2013 – Won qualifier v Reds 38-9 2014 – Won semifinal v Sharks 38-6 2017 – Won quarterfinal v Highlanders 17-0 2017 – Won semifinal v Chiefs 27-13 2018 – Won quarterfinal v Sharks 40-10 2018 - Won semifinal v Hurricanes 30–12 2018 - Won final v Lions 37-18 2019 - Won quarterfinal v Highlanders 38-14
