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Crusaders canters into semis Canterbury overcomes New South Wales 38-22
Posted: Saturday May 15, 1999 11:26 AM
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Canterbury Crusaders overcame New South Wales 38-22 in their Super 12 rugby match Saturday to secure the final spot in the four-team semifinal series. The teams scored four tries apiece but the defending champions got home comfortably on the boot of All Blacks fly-half Andrew Mehrtens, who kicked three conversions and four penalties for 18 points. All Black center Norm Berryman ran in two second-half tries after the teams were locked 17-all at halftime. Canterbury, which beat Auckland in last year's final, leapt over ACT Brumbies to claim fourth behind Queensland, Otago and Western Stormers. The Stormers can go top with a victory over the Cats in South Africa later Saturday. All Black scrum-half Justin Marshall was in top form for the visitors and said he was pleased to be in the semis after missing last season's triumph because of injury. "Whoever we're going to play we're going to have to pull something out of the bag again," said Marshall. "I'm just really thrilled to be there and I couldn't care less who we play because it's the first time in the semis for me." Canterbury, which started the evening needing only a single point to wrest the fourth semifinal spot from the ACT, scored a try after just 57 seconds. The Waratahs held the ball for several phases before fullback Duncan McRae had it jolted loose by centre Daryl Gibson and Crusaders' flanker Angus Gardiner sent winger Afato So'oalo away for a soft try. Waratah center Jason Little marked his return from a fractured collarbone with a classy try in the sixth minute. Playing on the wing in his comeback from nine weeks on the sideline with a broken collarbone, Little caught a clever crossfield kick from McRae out and dived over in the left hand corner. Mehrtens split the Waratahs up the middle with a long distance run in the 11th minute and supporting Marshall put fullback Leon MacDonald over for the visitors' second try. A Mehrtens penalty swelled Canterbury's lead to 17-5, but tries to nathan Grey and Sam Payne leveled the scores. It was Canterbury's fourth straight victory, while the Waratahs plummeted to their sixth defeat in the past seven matches, and their fourth in a row at the Sydney Football Stadium. The result condemned NSW to finish eighth and again cast doubt over the future of coach Matt Williams and several players. Canterbury 38 (Norm Berryman 2, Afato So'oalo, Leon MacDonald tries; Andrew Mehrtens 3 goals 4 penalty goals) defeat New South Wales 22 (Jason Little Nathan Grey, Sam Payne, Tom Bowman tries; Matt Dowling 1 goal).
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