Crusaders beat Moana Pasifika 50-21 In Auckland

Moana Pasifika 21-50 Crusaders, North Harbour Stadium

The Crusaders spoiled Moana Pasifika’s Round 6 homecoming with a commanding 50-21 victory at North Harbour Stadium.

Moana Pasifika competed strongly in the first half despite losing Julian Savea early in the match, but the Crusaders dominated the second half and pulled away with five tries after the break to secure a comfortable bonus-point win.

The victory also marked the Crusaders’ first back-to-back wins of the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season as they showed their attacking strength once the match opened up.

Crusaders Make Fast Start

The Crusaders began the match with attacking intent and struck early. Braydon Ennor opened the scoring with a sharp finish near the corner post after sustained pressure inside the Moana 22.

Sevu Reece quickly added another try soon after, extending his tally at the top of the all-time Super Rugby try-scoring list and giving the visitors a 12-0 lead.

Moana Pasifika responded well despite losing experienced winger Julian Savea after just four minutes. Tevita Latu broke through the Crusaders defence to create the opening for Miracle Faiilagi, who then set up Tevita Ofa to score after 20 minutes.

Momentum continued to swing toward the hosts when scrum-half Joel Lam finished a move created by a powerful run from Lalomilo Lalomilo. Patrick Pellegrini’s conversion handed Moana Pasifika a brief 14-12 lead.

Crusaders Regain Control Before Halftime

The Crusaders regained the advantage before halftime when rookie fly-half Cooper Grant delivered a precise cross-kick that found Chay Fihaki unmarked on the wing. The try restored the lead for the visitors and gave them a narrow 17-14 advantage at the break.

Second Half Blitz Decides The Match

The Crusaders lifted their intensity after halftime and quickly took control. Leicester Fainga’anuku powered over with 30 minutes remaining, sparking a scoring surge that Moana Pasifika struggled to contain.

Hooker George Bell then crossed twice during a dominant attacking spell, while debutant Kurtis MacDonald added another try as the Crusaders stretched their lead.

Fihaki later grabbed his second try of the match following a lengthy attacking sequence deep inside Moana territory, underlining the visitors’ dominance in the second half.

Late Consolation For Moana

Moana Pasifika’s defence improved late in the match, but the result was already beyond doubt. The home crowd still had something to celebrate when Siaosi Nginingini intercepted a pass and sprinted away for a late consolation try.

Team line up:

Moana: 15 William Havili, 14 Tevita Latu, 13 Lalomilo Lalomilo, 12 Julian Savea, 11 Glen Vaihu, 10 Patrick Pellegrini, 9 Joel Lam, 8 Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa, 7 Niko Jones, 6 Miracle Faiilagi (captain), 5 Allan Craig, 4 Tom Savage, 3 Atu Moli, 2 Millennium Sanerivi, 1 Tito Tuipulotu

Reserves: 16 Mamoru Harada, 17 Abraham Pole, 18 Chris Apoua, 19 Veikoso Poloniati, 20 Dominic Ropeti, 21 Siaosi Nginingini, 22 Jackson Garden-Bachop, 23 Tevita Ofa

Crusaders: 15 Will Jordan (captain), 14 Chay Fihaki, 13 Braydon Ennor, 12 Dallas McLeod, 11 Sevu Reece, 10 Cooper Grant, 9 Noah Hotham, 8 Christian Lio-Willie, 7 Johnny Lee, 6 Ethan Blackadder, 5 Jamie Hannah, 4 Tahlor Cahill, 3 Fletcher Newell, 2 George Bell, 1 Finlay Brewis

Reserves: 16 Manumaua Letiu, 17 George Bower, 18 Seb Calder, 19 Antonio Shalfoon, 20 Xavier Saifoloi, 21 Kyle Preston, 22 Leicester Fainga’anuku, 23 Kurtis MacDonald