Mitchell Clutch Hunt Denies The Sharks A Rare Victory In Christchurch

If the All Blacks require another Stephen Donald moment at the Rugby World Cup in Japan later this year, Steve Hansen maybe tempted to turn to Mitchell Hunt. The Crusaders' first five produced another clutch performance in the latter stages of the match against the Sharks with his side facing a home defeat, the first of its kind in 26 outings.

Often used off the bench with Richie Mo'unga starting in the 10 jersey, Hunt was handed the starting jumper against the Sharks and came up with a try and a conversion with his side trailing 14-21 in the final moments of the game. Hunt's efforts saw the Crusaders maintain their unbeaten home run in Super Rugby this year with their only defeat comming at the hands of the Waratahs in Sydney.

This isn't the first time that Hunt has stepped up to save the Crusaders from defeat with the 24-year-old slotting an outstanding drop goal in the 82nd minute of the Crusaders clash with the Highlanders in 2017.

The Sharks approach to the match was clear as they punished the Crusaders ill-discipline with Curwin Bosch slotting 7 of his 9 penalty attempts at goal. The Sharks were excellent over the ball winning numerous penalties however, their lineout was faulty at times which saw them give up numerous opportunities inside the Crusaders half.

The Crusaders' three tries was not-enough to claim a victory over the Durban-based franchise with Codie Taylor scoring in the eleventh minute as the home side trailed  7-9 at half time.

Bosch added another two penalties before Jack Goodhue scored after he ran a great line off of Kieran Read, who was celebrating his 150th Super Rugby appearance.

Bosch slotted a penalty either side of miss to push the Sharks lead out to 7 points before the Crusaders continued to push for a try in the latter stages of the game. Braydon Ennor was denied late on by a super cover tackle by Sbu Nkosi before Mitchell Hunt finally spotted a hole in the defence and exploited it to score. The Crusaders flyhalf then stepped up to take a clutch conversion which saw the game ending 21 all.

THE SHARKS DRAW 21-21 AGAINST THE CRUSADERS 🦈

Mitch Hunt converted his own try in the 82nd minute to rescue the Crusaders and ensure the men from New Zealand come away with a point. What did you make of this #SuperRugby nail-biter? pic.twitter.com/fVmwOn5FTS

— SuperSport (@SuperSportTV) May 3, 2019

 Top Peformers

Mitchell Hunt (Crusaders)

The Crusaders flyhalf put in a dominant display! He had a 100% kick success rate in the match and kicked a clutch one right at the end of the game to draw the match for his side.

Not only was Hunt great with the boot but defensive he didn’t skip a beat as and capped off his performance he also scored try at the final hooter to level matters.

Curwin Bosch (Sharks)

Hunts opposite number had a decent outing and controlled matter for the Sharks. He scored all 21 points for his Durban side but sadly missed two kicks which could have sealed his side the win.

Daniel and Jean-Luc Du Preez (Sharks)

The brothers were absolute immense on defence and made 16 tackles each, which were the most in the game. The Du Preez’s got around the park all morning and together carried the ball up 12 times which helped get the Sharks on the front foot.

Ruan Botha (Sharks)

Played 63 minutes in the game but put in a huge shift which laid a platform for the players coming off the bench. Botha made nine tackles and carried the ball up on three occasions, he also managed to win three crucial turnovers.

Matt Todd (Crusaders)

With 13 carries in the game and nine tackles on defence, there is no way we could leave him out of this section. Todd won two turnovers for his side and gained 26 metres in the match!  

Quick Stats:

- The Crusaders are now unbeaten in their last 26 home matches.

- These two sides have now played out two draws in the competition.

- Kieran Read earned his 150th Super Rugby cap in this clash

- Dan and Jean-Luc du Preez made a joint game high of 16 tackles, no Crusader made more than 9.

What's Next?

The Sharks head to Waikato to face the Chiefs, who will be hoping to move from the foot of the New Zealand conference this weekend with a win over the Highlanders and if the result Canberra favours them. The Sharks then return home to Durban where they will face the Lions before they have their bye. 

The Crusaders start their tour next week in Pretoria as they face the Bulls before a shorter trip to Cape Town to face the Stormers.

The result in Christchurch will see the Sharks retain top spot in the conference for one more week, unless the Bulls claim a bonus point victory over the Waratahs at Loftus.