NSW Waratahs climbed to the top of Super Rugby's Australian conference and possibly ended the Crusaders 13-year finals run with a 32-22 home win in a brutal and exciting clash at ANZ Stadium.
The Waratahs led 25-8 early in the second half Saturday night but the Crusaders piled on 14 unanswered points to get within three with fewer than 15 minutes to go.
Waratahs five-eighth Bernard Foley clinched the bonus-point win two minutes from the end when he scored their fourth try, chasing through his own kick and sliding over the line after Crusaders winger Nafi Tuitavake couldn't handle the ball.
The Crusaders, who started the round in ninth spot, played out the last 10 minutes with 14 men after champion flanker Richie McCaw was sin binned for entering a ruck from the side.
The Waratahs also played with 14 men for 10 minutes when hooker Tolu Latu was punished for a lifting tackle on Sam Whitelock.
Winger Taqele Naiyaravoro, who scored two tries, and lock Will Skelton, each sailed close to the wind with some shoulder charge tackles in an intensely physical encounter.
"Everyone was scrambling defence, we were able to link that to some good intensity so I was very pleased with that attitude," Waratahs coach Michael Cheika said.
He felt fatigue and a couple of errors, rather than a drop in intensity, contributed to the Crusaders' comeback.
Cheika thought Latu didn't have anything to worry about for his tackle on Whitelock but Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder said it would be interesting to see what the citing commissioner made of the game.
He felt McCaw's card represented inconsistency on the part of referee Marius van der Westhuizen.
Asked if NSW had pushed the letter of the law at times, Blackadder said: "I think so.
"Both teams knew that (at) the breakdowns that there was going to be a lot of physicality and it certainly showed out there. It was pretty willing."
Cheika said he was proud of Skelton's performance and wasn't concerned about the nature of some of his tackles. Officials disagreed and both Skelton and Latu were later cited for the lifting tackle on Whitelock in the 17th minute.
Former Australia lock Dean Mumm will join the squad for their two games in South Africa.
Blackadder said Slade tweaked a quadriceps, captain Kieran Read suffered a head knock and Israel Dagg would miss the remainder of the Super campaign after aggravating his calf strain in the warmup, which forced him out of the game.
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