Joe Roff scored two tries and kicked six conversions on Saturday to inspire the ACT Brumbies to a 47-38 grand final win over the Crusaders and set a record in his last Super 12 match.
The veteran fullback opened the scoring in the first minute when he burrowed over from close range after Crusaders opposite Ben Blair’s error near his own corner post. Roff crossed out wide again in the 73rd minute to seal the result after the Crusaders had cut the margin to 12 points.
His first equalled former All Black fullback Christian Cullen’s career record of 56 Super 12 tries and he set the mark in his own right seven minutes from full time.
The Brumbies didn’t relent in the opening quarter, with winger Mark Gerrard scoring two of his three tries as the hosts raced to a 33-0 lead.
The Crusaders scored two tries in the nine minutes before half time and Casey Laulala and Daniel Carter crossed for consolation tries in the five minutes before full time to reduce the final margin to nine points.
”To win the title, it’s magnificent, I couldn’t ask for a better way to go out,” Roff said. ”From word go, it was just a really intense performance — it was amazing to be part of.”
Reuben Thorne said the Brumbies trampled his Crusaders in the opening 19 minutes.
”It was a shocker of a start, everyone would acknowledge that,” the Crusaders captain said. ”From that point, we were always playing catch up.
”Every time we got close enough, they’d get away again. That start was just too much.”
Gerrard charged into the left corner in the fourth minute after George Gregan exploited a blindside overlap and hooker Jeremy Paul got the Brumbies’ third five-pointer in the 11th minute. Gerrard won a chase to a chip kick from flanker George Smith after a bustling, weaving run from lock Radike Samo, who mesmerised the Crusaders defence as he charged upfield the ball in one hand, to give the hosts a 26-0 lead after 17 minutes.
Flyhalf Stephen Larkham sliced through the midfield defence two minutes later and unloaded to Joel Wilson, who turned the ball inside to an unmarked Matt Giteau to sprint the last 20 metres untouched.
Crusaders coach Robbie Deans replaced Cameron McIntyre with Andrew Mehrtens and the veteran flyhalf contributed to tries via Richie McCaw and Aaron Mauger as the four-time champions closed to the gap to 33-14 at half time.
But the Brumbies started the second half in a similar fashion to the first, Gerrard completing his hat-trick when beat Blair to a Larkham bomb two minutes after halftime and the Brumbies led 40-14.
Brad Thorn crossed in the 56th minute and Chris King in the 69th as the Crusaders closed the gap to 40-28.
But the Brumbies skipped ahead again courtesy of Roff’s converted try before Laulala and Carter finished off with tries. The Brumbies had lost two previous Super 12 finals to the Crusaders (2000 and 2002) and were 1-3 in finals appearances heading into Saturday’s home match, with the sole previous title coming over the Sharks in 2001.
The victory was particularly sweet for Brumbies coach David Nucifora, who discovered last month that his contract wouldn’t be renewed next season.
”It was unbelievable. We blew them away,” said Nucifora. ”Big games are about taking your chances. We took everything.”
The Crusaders ”are a great team, they stuck at it — but it was just a special occasion for us. Our guys were just fantastic — outstanding.”
Roff is available for Australian selection for tests against Scotland, England the Tri-Nations series before he moved to England before next season.
Scores
ACT Brumbies: 47 (Mark Gerrard 3, Joe Roff 2, Jeremy Paul, Matt Giteau tries; Roff 6 conversions) def. Canterbury Crusaders 38 (Richie McCaw, Aaron Mauger, Brad Thorn, Chris King, Casey Laulala, Daniel Carter tries; Daniel Carter 3, Andrew Mehrtens conversion). – Sapa-AP