Super Rugby

After a shock opening round loss, the Crusaders got their Super Rugby Pacific title defence back on track with a 52-15 thrashing of the Highlanders in Melbourne.

The Crusaders had seven different try-scorers in the win which was the first time the side had scored 50 points against their southern neighbours.

RNZ reports ahead 24-3 at halftime, the Crusaders were dominant despite the Highlanders being the first to score in the Super Round match.

The Highlanders scored two late tries to make the score slightly more respectable.

All 12 teams compete in the super round in Melbourne this weekend.

The Brumbies dominated their Australian rivals last year but fell short in a 20-19 thriller at Eden Park as the Blues booked their place in the final against the eventual champion Crusaders.

Reuters reports the Blues have won their last 14 regular season matches, including last week's 60-20 hiding of the Highlanders in their season-opener in Dunedin.

Both teams exchanged penalties early in the game before the Blues went on a try-scoring rampage crossing the line four times in 15 minutes and racing out to a 31-6 lead at the half hour mark.

Blues winger Mark Telea scored the opening try and could nearly have scored the second until he passed out to Beauden Barrett for the first-five to dot down next to the posts.

Caleb Clarke used his pace to chase down a Barrett kick and score the third try.

Telea played a part in putting Rieko Ioane in space for a clear run at the Highlanders line for the fourth try.

The Pacific team finished bottom of the table in their debut season in 2022 with two wins - against the Hurricanes (24-19) and the Brumbies (32-22) against 12 defeats. Many of their earlier matches were postponed due to covid-19, both within their own squad and their opponents'.

As part of the build-up to the new campaign, they played a pre-season match at the weekend against the Chiefs, going down 48-7.

They have one more pre-season game, against the Highlanders in Queenstown on Friday, before beginning the competition proper.

It’s a major blow for the side as the Drua is just two weeks away from the first Shop N Save Super Rugby Pacific match against Moana Pasifika in Auckland.

The Drua confirmed that Habosi had his contract terminated with immediate effect, due to a high-level breach of the Club’s Code of Conduct.

According to a club statement, the decision was made after careful consideration.

The Fijian Drua says they’ll not comment further on this matter and due process was accorded to Habosi.

It comes after New Zealand Rugby and Rugby Australia signed a new joint-venture agreement in Sydney.

NZR Chief Executive Mark Robinson and RA Chief Executive Andy Marinos each welcomed the new partnership, which will extend the existing joint venture from 2024 to 2030, as a significant moment for professional club rugby in the Pacific region.

Robinson said the agreement represented a unified commitment to the Super Rugby Pacific format.

He said the long-term agreement provides certainty for players, coaches, fans, sponsors and broadcast partners.

Dermody takes over from Tony Brown who finishes his two-year tenure to dedicate his time to helping coach Japan ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup alongside another former Highlander's head coach, Jamie Joseph.

It was Joseph who first brought Dermody into the fold in 2014 as scrum coach and he has been an integral member of the coaching team since then.

After a brief stint in the farming machinery industry, he began his coaching career in 2014 with Southland as assistant coach to current All Black's attack coach, Brad Mooar.

Head coach Scott Robertson confirmed so shortly after the weary red and blacks arrived to “Crusaders” chants at the Christchurch airport on Sunday morning.

Robertson had hoped the hard-nosed Puma would be back for a second season, but the 28-year-old is set to announce his latest destination in the coming days.

“No. He’s not [back]. It’s very sad. We’d loved to have kept him, but it hasn’t worked out that way. He’s decided to take another opportunity,” Robertson said.

Leading 13-0 at half-time, the Crusaders never allowed the Blues within striking distance in the second half, denying the home side any real chance of coming back into the contest.

The Crusaders were the first to create scoring opportunities, with two close calls in the Blues' right hand corner.

Richie Mo'unga opened the scoring for the visitors with a tidy drop goal while the referee played a penalty advantage.

Handling errors from both sides ensued, as a combination of weather and final nerves made for scrappy rugby.

The sold-out sign was already up as the high-flying Blues got set to welcome long-time foes the Crusaders north to Eden Park.

It came 24 years on from the dramatic 1998 final, where a late try earned the Crusaders their maiden title.

A red and black man through and through until moving north three years ago, Blues coach Leon MacDonald expected the 2022 final to play out in similar fashion.

"It's going to be a lot like that.