2014 Super Rugby final

2014 Super Rugby final

2014 Super Rugby Grand Final
Stadium Australia, the venue for the final
Event	2014 Super Rugby season
Waratahs Crusaders 33 32
Match details
Date	2 August 2014
Venue	Stadium Australia, Sydney
Referee	Craig Joubert (South Africa)
Attendance	61,823
Weather	Partly cloudy night 13 °C (55 °F) 59% humidity[1]

The 2014 Super Rugby final, stylised as the 2014 Super Rugby Grand Final, was the final match of the 2014 Super Rugby season and the decider of the Finals Series, the 19th season of the Southern Hemisphere's premier rugby union competition organised by SANZAAR. The 19th Super Rugby final, it was the ninth, and most recent, Trans-Tasman final (after 1997, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2011, and 2013). The match was played on 2 August 2014 at Stadium Australia in Sydney's Olympic Park.

The Waratahs won the match 33–32 after a final penalty goal through Bernard Foley sealed the Waratahs' maiden Super Rugby title.

The Waratahs reached their third final since the inception of the competition in 1996,^[2] the second-most of the Australian teams. Their total finals appearances sat behind the Brumbies, who lost in their sixth final the previous year (2013),^[3] and ahead of their arch-rivals the Queensland Reds whose sole final appearance came in their title-winning 2011 season.^[4] This was the Waratahs' first final since 2008,^[2] and was the first time they were hosts going into the final.^[5] In their two previous finals appearances (2005, 2008), the Waratahs met the Crusaders in Christchurch,^[2][6][7] having finished second on the regular season ladder in both cases. It was also coach Michael Cheika's first final as coach of the team. Leading into the final, the Waratahs were on a seven-match win streak, all of which were one by 16 points or more.^[8] The Waratahs were also the favourites, with bookmakers Ladbrokes and Betfair having the Waratahs at A$1.73 and A$1.86, respectively, compared to the Crusaders at A$2.10 and A$2.29, respectively.^[6]

The Crusaders reached their eleventh final,^[2][6] more than any other team in the competition. It was their first final appearance since 2011,^[9] which was also a Trans-Tasman matchup, featuring the Reds of Brisbane.^[10] Going into the match, the Crusaders had seven titles to their name,^[11] four more than the closest contenders (Blues, Bulls), two of which were won against the Waratahs (2005, 2008).^[6][7] During the regular season, the Crusaders edged out the Sharks for second-place on the ladder in the final round after a bonus-point victory over the Highlanders.^[12] This finish gave the Crusaders a home advantage Semi-final, for which they defeated the Sharks 38–6.^[9] This was Todd Blackadder's second final as coach of the Crusaders.

Pre-match teams' record^[6][13]

Team	Wins	W%
Waratahs	4	20
Crusaders	16	80
Total	20

As per convention in the Super Rugby, the host of the final is whoever is ranked higher on the regular season ladder. As such, the Waratahs, whom finished the regular season minor premiers, earnt the right to host the 2014 final upon their Semi-final victory against the Brumbies.^[5] This was the first time in the competitions history that they had achieved this feat.^[5]

Although the Waratahs had played most of the regular season, and their semi-finals match, at the Sydney Football Stadium, the venue for the final was Stadium Australia.^[14] This was due to a nine-year deal the Waratahs had with the venue,^[15] wherein they were required to stage two home fixtures per season at the venue, with the agreement further stipulating that any final hosted by the Waratahs would also be held at the ground.^[16] The change led to Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder describing the venue as neutral ground. He stated before the match, "this could only be the accountants and not so much the players [making the decision]. I don’t think it will make a difference to them; no one is going to be hamstrung by it. But for us ... the psychological aspect of going to a neutral stadium is just fantastic."^[16]

Team	Previous final appearances (bold indicates winners)
Waratahs	2 (2005, 2008)
Crusaders	10 (1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2011)

Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).

Waratahs		Round	Crusaders
League
Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD TF TA TB LB Pts 1 Waratahs 16 12 0 4 481 272 +209 55 24 9 1 58 2 Crusaders 16 11 0 5 445 322 +123 41 36 4 3 51 3 Sharks 16 11 0 5 406 293 +113 29 22 2 4 50 4 Brumbies 16 10 0 6 412 378 +34 49 35 4 1 45 5 Chiefs 16 8 2 6 384 378 +6 44 35 5 3 44 6 Highlanders 16 8 0 8 401 442 −41 39 52 5 5 42
Opponent	Result	Finals	Opponent	Result
Brumbies (H)	26–8	Semi-finals	Sharks (H)	38–6

Waratahs

Crusaders

FB 15 Israel Folau RW 14 Alofa Alofa  74' OC 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper IC 12 Kurtley Beale LW 11 Rob Horne FH 10 Bernard Foley SH 9 Nick Phipps  75' N8 8 Wycliff Palu 19' to 26' OF 7 Michael Hooper (c) BF 6 Stephen Hoiles  64' LL 5 Jacques Potgieter  49' RL 4 Kane Douglas TP 3 Sekope Kepu  65' HK 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau  42' LP 1 Benn Robinson Substitutes: HK 16 Tolu Latu  42' PR 17 Jeremy Tilse PR 18 Paddy Ryan  65' LK 19 Will Skelton  19'  26'  49' FL 20 Mitchell Chapman  64' FL 21 Pat McCutcheon SH 22 Brendan McKibbin  75' WG 23 Peter Betham  74' Coach: Michael Cheika

FB 15 Israel Dagg RW 14 Kieron Fonotia  63' CE 13 Ryan Crotty 67' to 71' SF 12 Dan Carter  30' LW 11 Nemani Nadolo FH 10 Colin Slade SH 9 Andy Ellis  71' N8 8 Kieran Read (c) OF 7 Matt Todd BF 6 Richie McCaw LL 5 Sam Whitelock RL 4 Dominic Bird  63' TP 3 Owen Franks HK 2 Corey Flynn  63' LP 1 Wyatt Crockett  56' Substitutes: HK 16 Ben Funnell  63' PR 17 Joe Moody  56'  63' PR 18 Nepo Laulala  63' LK 19 Jimmy Tupou  63' FL 20 Jordan Taufua SH 21 Willi Heinz  67' FH 22 Tom Taylor  30' WG 23 Johnny McNicholl  63' Coach: Todd Blackadder