Super Rugby final

The Blues and Crusaders will battle it out to crown the inaugural Super Rugby Pacific champion.

Coverage will be live and ad-free on Stan Sport, slated to start at 4:30 pm with kickoff expected at 5:05 pm. The Blues' clash with the Crusaders will be shown LIVE on Stan Sport and the Nine Network. The Blues and Crusaders will battle it out to crown the inaugural Super Rugby Pacific champion.

Crusaders capitalise on early dominance to take lead through a Richie Mo'unga dropped goal.

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Almost 25 years ago, a young Scott Robertson and Leon MacDonald were embracing each other as Super Rugby teammates. Tonight, they'll be fierce rivals as the ...

Team Team Half - Time

Join us as the Blues and Crusaders play for the Super Rugby Pacific title at Eden Park in Auckland.

Barrett kicks for touch and the Blues have a lineout 10m inside the Crusaders half. Another sloppy Blues lineout and the Crusaders win it again. Crusaders clear off the restart and the Blues lose another lineout on halfway. Crusaders throw it back in quickly and capitalise on the unsettled Blues defence. Crusaders work a backline move after settling from the dropout and it finishes with a grubber for the corner. With a second penalty the Blues get a lineout 10m inside the Crusaders half. Mo'unga kicks for touch and it's a Crusaders lineout 10m inside the Blues half. After losing yet another lineout, the Blues get another chance to correct it with a poor Crusaders clearance. The feed is clean, it comes to the backline and now it's the Blues' turn for a knock on. Beauden Barrett kicks for touch and it's a Blues lineout on the Crusaders 10m line. Somehow the Blues deny the Crusaders again! Crusaders kick it deep shortly after the restart and the Blues bundle the recovery.

The Blues have been given a huge boost ahead of tonight's Super Rugby Pacific final, with captain Dalton Papalii cleared to come off the bench.

Now 43,000 fans at Eden Park will be hoping for a similar result tonight - and a fit and firing Papalii will be hoping for a chance to lift the Super Rugby Pacific trophy. Papalii joined with Rieko Ioane in making a match-winning tackle of the dying moments of that clash in Christchurch, helping the Blues break a 18-year hoodoo in the city. Blues coach Leon MacDonald named an unchanged starting XV for tonight's match but will now be able to turn to Papalii and give the 24-year-old a chance to make an impact similar to what he managed in the round-robin meeting between the sides.

The players have been revealed for the Super Rugby final at Eden Park. Video / NZ Herald / Getty / Ben Cummins / Supplied. NZ Herald.

Handling in contact from the Blues was also poor. Some of those issues can be attributed to Sam Whitelock and Scott Barrett but it was also symptomatic of the Blues wilting under finals pressure. The Blues were fortunate not to turn further than 13-0 behind at halftime. The only surprise of Soane Vikena replacing Blues hooker Kurt Eklund early in the second half was that it took so long. They held the ball, dictated terms and took their chances. Six titles in six years.

The Crusaders have dominated the ladder-topping Blues to win the Super Rugby Pacific final 21-7 at a sold-out Eden Park in Auckland.

It's a tough one to swallow." Christie finally got the Blues on the board when he pounced on a loose ball at the back of a Crusaders scrum for a converted try that cut the deficit to 16-7, but even that was too steep a mountain to climb against the visiting defence. The Blues, dominant in the early years of the competition, had looked to usurp the Crusaders on the back of a high-octane attack but initially looked shell-shocked at the intensity of the contest.

The Blues have fallen at the last hurdle, going down to the Crusaders in the Super Rugby Pacific final. Who were their best performers on the night?

On in 54th minute. On in 54th minute. Off in 78th minute. On in 54th minute. Off in 45th minute. Off in 45th minute. Struggled to get the ball in any space and was well wrapped up in the narrow channels. Wasn’t able to add much more in the second spell. Came out second best in the battle of the All Blacks first fives. Off in 54th minute. Traded blows with Pablo Matera early doors and got stuck in on defence in the early stages of the game but wasn’t able to add much impact at the breakdown. One of the quietest matches we’ve seen from Ioane in recent seasons.

The Crusaders have defeated the Blues 21-7 at Eden Park as the Blues 15-match winning streak was ruthlessly snapped in the Super Rugby Pacific final.

It’s a tough one to swallow.” Leicester Fainga’anuku had earlier been held up over the line and the hulking winger was stopped just short when he launched himself at it again. The Crusaders have strangled the ladder-topping Blues with a ruthless display of power rugby to win the Super Rugby Pacific final in Auckland, claiming a record-extending 11th Super Rugby crown.