2022 Super Rugby Pacific Final
# 2022 Super Rugby Pacific Final

The 2022 Super Rugby Pacific Final was played between the Blues and the Crusaders, both of New Zealand. It was the 25th final in the Super Rugby competition's history, and the first since 2019 after the 2020 Super Rugby season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and regional tournaments were played in the 2021 Super Rugby season. The Blues had qualified in first place on the regular season standings, while the Crusaders had qualified in second place. Both teams hosted quarter-final and semi-final matches.

The final was won by the Crusaders who beat the Blues by fourteen points. The Crusaders stretched their record number of Super Rugby wins to eleven, while also stretching their number of titles won to thirteen, having won both the 2020 Super Rugby Aotearoa season and 2021 Super Rugby Aotearoa season.

## Road to the final

Finals Series qualifying teams :

| Top 8 finishers |
| - |
| Pos | Team | W | D | L | PD | BP | Pts |
| 1 | Blues | 13 | 0 | 1 | 188 | 6 | 58 |
| 2 | Crusaders | 11 | 0 | 3 | 202 | 8 | 52 |
| 3 | Chiefs | 10 | 0 | 4 | 105 | 5 | 45 |
| 4 | Brumbies | 10 | 0 | 4 | 98 | 4 | 44 |
| 5 | Hurricanes | 8 | 0 | 6 | 111 | 7 | 39 |
| 6 | Waratahs | 8 | 0 | 6 | 48 | 6 | 38 |
| 7 | Reds | 8 | 0 | 6 | 15 | 3 | 35 |
| 8 | Highlanders | 4 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 23 |
| Source: |

The 2022 season was a 12-team competition. The conference system from previous years was removed, with a single table introduced instead. Two new teams debuted in the 2022 season, with the Drua, representing Fiji, and Moana Pasifika, representing Pacific Islands heritage players joining the 5 New Zealand sides, and 5 Australian sides following the full-time return of the Force to the competition. The top 4 sides in the competition earned home quarter finals, with the following four sides in the table playing against them.

The Blues had finished top of the overall table, having won thirteen of their fourteen fixtures round robin fixtures, and had won fifteen fixtures in a row heading into the final. The Crusaders had finished second overall having won eleven of their round robin fixtures. Heading into the fixture, Stephen Perofeta of the Blues was the competition's top points scorer, with 127 points, while Leicester Fainga'anuku and Will Jordan, both of the Crusaders, were the competition's top try scorers, both with ten tries.

In the quarter-finals the Blues beat fellow New Zealand team the Highlanders while the Crusaders beat the Reds. For the semi-finals it was the Blues defeating the Brumbies in Auckland and the Crusaders defeating the Chiefs in Christchurch. Because of being the higher placed team in the regular season log standings, the final was held in Auckland.

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | | Final | Final |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 4 June – Auckland | 4 June – Auckland | | | |
| Blues | 35 | | | |
| Blues | 35 | 11 June — Auckland | 11 June — Auckland | | |
| Highlanders | 6 | 11 June — Auckland | 11 June — Auckland | |
| Highlanders | 6 | Blues | 20 | |
| 4 June – Canberra | 4 June – Canberra | | Blues | 20 | |
| 4 June – Canberra | 4 June – Canberra | Brumbies | 19 | |
| Brumbies | 35 | Brumbies | 19 | |
| Brumbies | 35 | | | | 18 June — Auckland | 18 June — Auckland |
| Hurricanes | 25 | | | | 18 June — Auckland | 18 June — Auckland |
| Hurricanes | 25 | | | | Blues | 7 |
| 3 June – Christchurch | 3 June – Christchurch | | | | | Blues | 7 |
| 3 June – Christchurch | 3 June – Christchurch | | | | Crusaders | 21 |
| Crusaders | 37 | | | | Crusaders | 21 |
| Crusaders | 37 | 10 June – Christchurch | 10 June – Christchurch | | | |
| Reds | 15 | 10 June – Christchurch | 10 June – Christchurch | | | |
| Reds | 15 | Crusaders | 20 | | | |
| 4 June – Hamilton | 4 June – Hamilton | | Crusaders | 20 | | | |
| 4 June – Hamilton | 4 June – Hamilton | Chiefs | 7 | |
| Chiefs | 39 | Chiefs | 7 | |
| Waratahs | 15 | | | |

## Final

The final was held at Eden Park in Auckland. Weather conditions were wet with persistent drizzle. It is thought to be the first major rugby union final where both sides have been captained by brothers, with Beauden Barrett captaining the Blues and Scott Barrett captaining the Crusaders. Two other sets of brothers also partook in the fixture, with the Goodhue brothers (Jack for the Crusaders and Josh for the Blues) and the Ioane brothers (Akira and Rieko both for the Blues) joining the Barrett brothers in the fixture.

### Details

* 18 June 2022 19:05

| Blues | 7–21 | Crusaders |
| - | - | - |
| Try: Christie 59' c Con: Perofeta (1/1) 60' | Report Match Summary | Try: Hall 39' c Reece 76' m Con: Mo'unga (1/2) 40+1' Pen: Mo'unga (2/3) 30', 46' Drop: Mo'unga 13' |

* Eden Park, Auckland Attendance: 45,000 Referee: Ben O'Keeffe

| Blues | Crusaders |
| - | - |

Blues: :

| FB | 15 | Stephen Perofeta |
| - | - | - |
| RW | 14 | AJ Lam |
| OC | 13 | Rieko Ioane |
| IC | 12 | Roger Tuivasa-Sheck | 45' |
| LW | 11 | Mark Telea | 78' |
| FH | 10 | Beauden Barrett (c) |
| SH | 9 | Finlay Christie | 72' |
| N8 | 8 | Hoskins Sotutu | 40' | 44' |
| OF | 7 | Adrian Choat | | | 47' |
| BF | 6 | Akira Ioane |
| LL | 5 | Tom Robinson |
| RL | 4 | Josh Goodhue | 45' |
| TP | 3 | Nepo Laulala | 54' |
| HK | 2 | Kurt Eklund | 54' |
| LP | 1 | Alex Hodgman | 54' |
| Substitutes: |||
| HK | 16 | Soane Vikena | 54' |
| PR | 17 | Karl Tu'inukuafe | 54' |
| PR | 18 | Ofa Tu'ungafasi | 54' |
| LK | 19 | Luke Romano | 45' |
| LF | 20 | Dalton Papalii | 40' | 44' | 47' |
| SH | 21 | Sam Nock | 72' |
| CE | 22 | Bryce Heem | 45' |
| FB | 23 | Zarn Sullivan | 78' |
| Coach: |||
| Leon MacDonald ||||

Crusaders: :

| FB | 15 | Will Jordan |
| - | - | - |
| RW | 14 | Sevu Reece |
| OC | 13 | Jack Goodhue |
| IC | 12 | David Havili | 68' |
| LW | 11 | Leicester Fainga'anuku | 68' |
| FH | 10 | Richie Mo'unga |
| SH | 9 | Bryn Hall | 59' |
| N8 | 8 | Cullen Grace |
| OF | 7 | Tom Christie | 78' |
| BF | 6 | Pablo Matera | 78' |
| LL | 5 | Sam Whitelock |
| RL | 4 | Scott Barrett (c) |
| TP | 3 | Oli Jager | 52' |
| HK | 2 | Codie Taylor | 59' |
| LP | 1 | George Bower | 59' |
| Substitutes: |||
| HK | 16 | Brodie McAlister | 59' |
| PR | 17 | Tamaiti Williams | 59' |
| PR | 18 | Fletcher Newell | 52' |
| LK | 19 | Quinten Strange | 78' |
| LF | 20 | Corey Kellow | 78' |
| SH | 21 | Mitchell Drummond | 59' |
| CE | 22 | Braydon Ennor | 68' |
| WG | 23 | George Bridge | 68' |
| Coach: |||
| Scott Robertson ||||

* Man of the Match:
* Sam Whitelock
* Assistant Referees:
* Nic Berry (Rugby Australia)
* Stu Curran (New Zealand)
* Television match official:
* Shane McDermott (New Zealand)
