In 2025, they were back to looking like title contenders and in Christchurch against the Chiefs on Saturday night, they completed their redemption story with a 16-12 win.
The Crusaders only had hosting rights because the Chiefs lost their opening game of the playoffs, meaning the second-seeded Crusaders replaced them at the top of the seeding chart and extended their run of home playoff games without a loss to 32.
For the Chiefs, it was their third runners-up finish in a row, and their fourth in five years.
It was a contest that fit the bill of a competition final.
From the outset it was a tense, physical affair with the Crusaders testing the visitors early after storming the breakdown to get the ball inside opposition territory.
The old adage is that defence wins championships, and both sides were forced to muscle up well inside their own half to keep the opposition out.
If there was one area that really separated the sides, it was in the aerial attack of the Crusaders. Their kicks were chased with intent and were well-weighted enough that the chasers could get to them to either contest or put pressure on the Chiefs player who came down with the ball.
Often, that pressure caused problems for the Chiefs and they were left to scramble for a bit of space or make amends for spilling the ball.
Crusaders first five-eighths Rivez Reihana led that attack well while also making his mark from the kicking tee and was named man of the match.
Despite some early pressure, it was the Chiefs who took the ascendancy in the first half. Some strong work at the set piece to earn two scrum penalties and pinch a Crusaders lineout saw the visitors playing in the right areas.
A yellow card to Crusaders captain David Havili for a face-to-face tackle on Emoni Narawa opened the door for the Chiefs, who struck through George Dyer in the 14th minute.
The tighthead prop picked the right game in which to score his first try of the season, walking it over the line from a couple of metres out after a smart offload from Luke Jacobson.
Both Chiefs props made strong starts; Ollie Norris was among the busier players on the park in the opening quarter in carries, tackling and his work in the contact areas.
However, the battle at the scrum soon added another layer of intrigue as the Crusaders’ All Blacks front row got a couple of penalties back.
It was Codie Taylor who eventually got the Crusaders on the board; the hooker making a smart play to attack space on the blindside of a lineout drive and running in from a little more than 10m out.
The Chiefs were made to pay for giving away penalties in range of the posts, with Reihana pushing the score out to 13-7 with a couple of penalties.
The Chiefs hit back through Shaun Stevenson, who scored out wide just before the break, but a missed conversion saw the hosts hold the slimmest of leads at halftime.
It took 31 minutes of the second half before the scoreboard ticked over again.
Both teams had terrific chances throughout the second half, but again, the championship defences stood strong on both sides.
Another scrum penalty – Fletcher Newell 71 minutes into his shift getting the pats on the back – saw Reihana add another three points, which pushed the lead out to four with less than 10 minutes to play.
That was where the scoring ended; the Crusaders closing out the win and adding another trophy to their collection.
Crusaders 16 (Codie Taylor try; Rivez Reihana con, 3 pens)
Chiefs 12 (George Dyer, Shaun Stevenson tries; Damian McKenzie con)
HT: 13-12
