For the second time this season, the Crusaders have toppled the Blues after another Shop N Save Super Rugby Pacific arm-wrestle in Christchurch.
The reigning champions kept the visitors try-less, taking the spoils 15-3, with the visitors' cause not helped by the loss of captain Dalton Papali'i to a red card.
In front of a sellout crowd at Orangetheory Stadium, the pre-match intensity lived up to the hype, with neither side willing to budge.
While the Crusaders dominated all the early possession, the Blues held on to deny the keen hosts on several occasions deep inside their own half.
But the shackles finally did break after 30 minutes of waves of Crusaders' attacks, with lock Quinten Strange crashing over for the game's first try.
Crusaders second-five David Havili fooled the defence with a terrific dummy pass, before setting winger Leicester Fainga'anuku free down the left wing.
[Source: newshub]
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