The Crusaders have opened Super Round and the new stadium with a 35-20 win over the NSW Waratahs.
The hosts gave the fans something to celebrate as One NZ Stadium was packed with red and black celebrating the victory.
Watch every second of the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season live and on demand via Stan Sport.
So what did we learn?
The Crusaders survived early nerves and did what was necessary to get the full points.
They’ve established One NZ Stadium as a fortress and did well to combat the expectations when lesser sides could've succumbed to the pressure.
But there are four massive Kiwi derbies to come, and they need at least one, if not two, wins to secure their finals spot.
They’ll get some valuable breathing room over the Waratahs on the ladder, but they’re still in reach, alongside the Highlanders and Fijian Drua.
Playing the Crusaders in Christchurch is hard. Playing the Crusaders whilst down to 14 for 20 of the first 60 minutes is near impossible.
The Waratahs did well the first time they went down, keeping the scoreline level after Miles Amatosero’s silly cynical foul out of frustration.
But there’s only so much defending you can do in a game and the second time when Ioane Moaning went off for repeated infringements, the Crusaders made them pay.
It summed up a frustrating night for the Waratahs, who worked hard to stay in the contest but came away with nothing.
Sid Harvey’s name should already be engraved on the Rookie of the Year trophy.
The winger was the sole contributor of their points in the first half, finishing off a perfect jack from Jack Debreczeni against the run of play.
The former Sevens star looks calm as ever under the high ball and is the type of player that makes fans stand up whenever he touches the ball, making seven tackle busts and three line breaks.
The only complaint is sometimes he can get caught one-out creating something out of nothing, but that's natural for a young player.
The gamble to play Leicester Fainga’anuku at open side flanker delivered the jackpot for the Crusaders.
Fainga’anuku’s impact was felt across the park, playing as almost a third midfielder at times.
His physicality and footwork were too much to stop at times for the Waratahs, scoring a crucial try in the second half. He then showed his handling to ice the game with a deft ball to set up Macca Springer.
He worked perfectly with Dom Gardiner and Christian Lio-Willie, both making critical plays at times.
One NZ Stadium is a must visit for Rugby fans.
Christchurch came alive with the new venue, with 25,237 fans packing the bars and pubs before their pilgrimage to the ground.
The fans were quiet early on as the Waratahs took their chances early but when they made noise, the place was deafening as they came home with a wet sail in the second half.
It’ll only get better with two further days of Super Round, either sold out or on the verge of a sell-out.
