ANDREW Mehrtens steered the Canterbury Crusaders into their third consecutive Super 12 rugby final Saturday night with another impeccable kicking display. The All Black flyhalf, whose appearance had been in question because of a back injury, succeeded with all eight shots at goal for 22 points in his team’s 37-15 win against their South Island compatriots at Jade Stadium. Before 30000 spectators, the Crusaders scored three tries, two by flying Fijian winger Marika Vunibaka and the other by number-eight Ron Cribb, to two. The game ignited when both teams called for fresh legs in the last quarter. The Crusaders led 19-8 at halftime, the only try in the first 40 minutes coming in the last minute of the opening spell. Crusaders centre Mark Robinson sliced through from the left in his own 22, taking play into the opposition 22 and then Vunibaka cut back from second phase to reset the attack. The Crusaders moved the ball to the left where Cribb took a pass and slipped through Tony Brown’s tackle as the Highlanders were regrouping. Mehrtens added the extras to the four penalties he had already kicked at crucial intervals to keep the home side ahead throughout the half. Lock Simon Maling scored from a Tony Brown attack through the heart of the Crusader’s defence but the Highlanders failed to capitalise for the next 10 minutes when the Crusaders were a man down. Fullback Leon MacDonald was sinbinned for a high tackle on Brown in the same attack in which he had set up Maling’s try. The only other points scored in the first half came from a penalty by Brown. Mehrtens stretched the Crusader’s lead to 25-8 with two penalty goals by the 10th minute of the second half before substitutions injected life into the game. Byron Kelleher ducked through and scored from close range. Brendan Laney, who had replaced an injured Brown, converted. Vunibaka scored twice after the Crusaders recycled position about eight times on each occasion. Mehrtens kicked one of the conversions before retiring.