2011 Super Rugby Final

The Crusaders held the territory and possession advantage early, but Dan Carter pushed a penalty attempt wide at the 15 minute mark. The Reds then wasted two opportunities from attacking positions. After a scoreless opening half hour, Quade Cooper kicked penalty goal in the 32nd minute. The Crusaders replied through a try to Carter who ran hard at the Reds' defenders, kicking the ball ahead as he reached them on the quarter-line, before gliding through to regather and score with 34 minutes gone. He converted his own try to take a four-point lead.[1]

The combative defence of the Crusaders was effective in pressuring Cooper and Genia, who had controlled the play in the Red's win against the Blues in the previous week's semifinal, and largely kept them in check during the opening half. The Crusaders also made errors, though, in particular three not-straight line-out throws from hooker Corey Flynn which gave possession to the Reds. Cooper reduced the deficit with 38 minutes elapsed by kicking another penalty goal following his entanglement with Brad Thorn’s outstretched leg, and the score at half time was 6–7 to the Crusaders.[1]

Cooper started things brightly for the Reds after the break, stepping through the line with Rod Davies in support and getting a pass away but it fooled everyone and went to ground. The match opened up as fatigue took its toll on the defence from both sides. Richie McCaw thwarted a midfield break by Ben Tapaui with a critical ankle tap. In the 45th minute, a knock on by Digby Ioane gave a scrum to the Crusaders 20 metres out. Brad Thorn then barged over the line but no try was awarded as the TMO couldn't see a grounding. This was a missed opportunity for the Crusaders as Thorn had 4 unmarked Crusaders to his left. From a scrum penalty a minute later, however, Carter kicked a penalty goal from 22 metres out to put the Crusaders ahead by four.[1]

The Reds retook the lead through a try to Ioane with some big stepping around Sonny Bill Williams and outright pace. Cooper converted it to make the score 13–10, but Carter levelled it up with a 45-metre penalty kick shortly after.[1] With the score at 13 all, Rob Simmons seemed to have broken the deadlock for the Reds with an intercept and long run in to the try-line before the referee ruled that he had knocked on.[7]

Will Genia proved to be the game breaker. The Reds gained a turnover 60 metres out from the Crusaders’ tryline. Anthony Faingaa passed the ball to Genia who accelerated through a gap near the ruck. The Crusaders replacement scrumhalf Kahn Fotuali’i attempted an ankle tap instead of a diving tackle, and missed. Genia was over the forty-metre line. Having Cooper to his left in support held off Sonny Bill Williams and Zac Guildford, leaving Sean Maitland to defend against Genia. With a fend on Maitland, Genia's momentum carried him over the line to claim the standout try of the match. The Reds were in front with 10 minutes remaining. They held on to win their first major title since the game turned professional in the mid 1990s. The attendance of 52,113 was a then record crowd for Super Rugby in Australia. The Reds scored two tries to the Crusaders' one, with the final score at 18–13.[1] Will Genia was named as the Man of the Match.[8]