Reds on revenge mission as Crusaders on a roll
The Queensland Reds are seeking revenge and across the Tasman the Canterbury Crusaders will try to extend their dominance when Australia and New Zealand’s domestic Super Rugby competitions stage their finals today.
The Reds narrowly lost last year’s Super Rugby AU decider 28-23 to the ACT Brumbies and admit the defeat still smarts, setting up an epic rematch in front of 50,000 fans in Brisbane.
Reds halfback Tate McDermott said footage of the Brumbies celebrating after last year’s win provided ample motivation for today’s clash.
“We’ve rewatched that final minute of the grand final, where you see them kick it out and there’s a bit of carry on and they win,” he said. “There’s definitely been a fire burning since that moment last year that has really helped the team ... we do owe them a lot from that game.”
The Reds have overtaken the Brumbies as Australia’s most consistent team this year, losing only once in an outstanding season that has included two victories over their arch-rivals.
Coach Dan McKellar admitted his Brumbies were the underdogs but warned the Queenslanders not to expect an easy victory in front of what is likely to be a soldout Suncorp Stadium.
“We’re quite happy – backs to the wall, big crowd at Suncorp, just ourselves and our family to bounce off,” he said.
“We’ll go out there and prove a few people wrong and continue our reign as Australia’s leading team over a number of years.”
In New Zealand, the Crusaders are red-hot favourites to defend the Super Rugby Aotearoa title, adding a second domestic crown to the record 10 international Super Rugby titles already in the trophy cabinet.
Victory against the Waikato Chiefs in Christchurch would make it five straight years the Crusaders have won Super Rugby or Super Rugby Aotearoa.
They are unbeaten in 24 postseason matches contested at home, including six finals, and coach Scott Robertson said it was not a record to give up lightly. “Occasions like this are exactly what we play for, the chance to represent the people of our region on the big stage,” he said.
Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan said they could defeat anyone, even an outfit as formidable as the Crusaders. “On any given day, any team can be beaten, and we’ve proven that,” he said.