The Crusaders defeated the Reds 28-15, securing 2nd place on the ladder.
In what can be termed as a scrappy and disjointed game, the Crusaders were not at their best and the Reds did seem to miss James O'Connor with inconsistent structure and poor set plays, although they did improve and score two tries in the second half.
The Crusaders led the Reds three tries to nil, 21-3 in the first half. The first half saw the Crusaders dominate for the most part with the Reds only really getting inside the 22 on a few occasions in the final 15 minutes. Crusaders had slightly more possession but were strong in their scrums, which couldn't be said for the Reds who are struggling with their set plays.
The game was somewhat marred by a tip tackle by Los Pumas flanker Pablo Matera, who is now in danger of missing the playoffs.
Matera was sin-binned in the 55th minute after he lifted Petaia and dropped him on his shoulder during a cleanout at a ruck. The Argentine's actions could have seen him be red-carded but referee Ben O’Keeffe felt the incident warranted a yellow card.
Crusaders head coach Scott Robertson defended Pablo Matera's tackling technique after the match.
"He [Matera] tried to stop and you knew when he got to that point, he didn't go through with it which was probably a saviour for him,'' Robertson said.
"It is taken out of his hands, now, in a lot of ways. That moment, he is in such a rich vein of form, and he has been so good for us. Hopefully that's just it, it has just happened on the field.''
