BRISBANE – Ipenela Flyhalf uMitchel Hunt idlale indima ebaluleke kakhulu ngethuba uCrusaders ibetha iReds ngo’22-20 izolo kumdlalo obulushica eSuncorp Stadium, eBrisbane. Ukuphumelela kweCrusaders akukholeleki ngoba kuyiwe kwixesha lokuphumla ihamba emva ngo’’20-7.

Kwisigaba sesibini iqinisekise ukuba iReds ayichili naphantsi. Ingene engxakini iCrusaders izibhaqe isengxakini engathethekiyo emva kokohlwaywa komdlali wayo waphambili uJordan Taufua echwakaze ngenqindi uRob Simmons weReds. Nangona kunjalo, uBryn Hall, ongene endaweni yalo mdlali, ungene wenza umahluko ngokuthi alale emgceni.

Luye lwakhula uxinizelelo ngakumbi kwiiReds ebezingazi nokuba mazenzeni. Kulo mdlalo, abadlali beCrusaders babonise amandla nobuchule babo bokudlala umbhoxo okumgangatho ophezulu abawabonise nakwiveki ephelileyo ngethuba bebetha iHighlanders ngo’30-12 belandele ngasemva nakuwo eDunedin. “Sonzakalelwe ngabadlali – kodwa amalalela wethu asebenze kakuhle kakhulu. Ndingatsho ngoku ukuba abadlali bayadlangana futhi bayabonana emidlalweni,” utshilo uSam Whitelock.

Kanti iReds iphantse yayonzakalisa iCrusaders emva kokuphuma kwabadlali abafana noSeta Tamanivalu, u-Israel Dagg noPeter Samu kwisiqingatha sokuqala. Kulapho iReds ifumene ithuba lokubeka ibhola emgceni ngumzuzu weshumi elinesibini. Yibhola ekhatywe nguHunt eqinisekise impumelelo yeCrusaders ibetha iReds yaseNew Zealand.