Waikato Chiefs 37 - 6 Sharks: Cruden kicks Chiefs to first final victory

Published on 05/08/2012 01:35

STAND-OFF Aaron Cruden kicked 
17 points to steer New Zealand side the Waikato Chiefs to an emphatic win over South Africa’s Sharks in the Super 15 rugby final.

Victory handed the rising franchise their first title and atoned for a crushing defeat in their only other finals appearance three years ago.

Cruden slotted conversions of tries by wingers Tim Nanai-Williams and Lelia Masaga, backrower Kane Thompson and departing superstar Sonny Bill Williams. He also added three penalties – seven goals from nine attempts – to take his points tally for the season to 251.

“It’s a little bit surreal,” Chiefs captain Craig Clarke said. “We were a little bit slow out of the blocks. We were coming off a physical game last week, but we got into our work and found our feet.”

The Chiefs were in the final for the second time in four years, haunted by their last experience, in 2009, when they were beaten 61-17 by the Bulls for the heaviest finals defeat in Super rugby history.

They laid that ghost yesterday, dominating the travel-weary Sharks to become only the sixth team to claim a Super rugby championship since 1996. They joined the Canterbury Crusaders (seven titles), the Bulls (three), the Auckland Blues (three), the ACT Brumbies (two) and the Queensland Reds (one) in the honours list.

The Durban-based Sharks were making their fourth finals appearance, but remain without a title after failing to match the Chiefs in all the critical areas – in lineouts, in contact, at the breakdown and in the efficiency of their kick receptions and counter-attacks. But they also bowed under the weight of a travel schedule which saw them cover more than 21,000 miles in the last three weeks of the season, playing a quarter-final in Australia, a semi-final in South Africa and a final in New Zealand.

“The task was just a bit too big,” Sharks captain Keegan Daniel said. “No excuses. The Chiefs were just a bit too good. They’ve been 
outstanding all season and they 
really deserved to win this competition.”