The Crusaders have won their ninth Super Rugby title after beating the Lions 37-18 in the final in Christchurch on Saturday.
The defending champions led 20-6 at the break and have now gone 21 playoff games at home without defeat.
FULL TIME - CRUSADERS ARE THE 2018 SUPER RUGBY CHAMPIONS!!! WINNERS FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW! Enormous effort by the Lions to have come this far yet again! #SuperRugby #CRUvLIO https://t.co/xCzlrAn62r pic.twitter.com/mAeUNY2iVv
— Super Rugby (@SuperRugby) August 4, 2018
Scott Robertson’s men were lethal on the counter-attack and solid in defence, while the Lions will rue several missed opportunities after dominating the territory and possession statistics.
#SuperRugbyFinal RESULT: Crusaders 37-18 Lions
Hard luck to the @LionsRugbyCo in Christchurch as the @crusadersrugby clinch their 9th @SuperRugby title @IOL #CRUvLIO #SuperRugby
— IOL Sport (@IOLsport) August 4, 2018
It was the third straight final defeat for the Lions, who also lost last year’s final match to the Crusaders at Ellis Park, while the year before, they went down to the Hurricanes in Wellington.
More to follow ...