All Blacks star Sevu Reece breaks Super Rugby try-scoring record against Highlanders

This article originally appeared on Stuff and is reproduced with permission

Sevu Reece stands alone atop the Super Rugby try scoring chart.

And the Crusaders wing was able to mark the record (66 tries) with a victory, after Highlanders pivot Cam Millar missed a penalty attempt after the fulltime hooter.

Rather than play extra time, Reece and the Crusaders could breathe a mighty sigh of relief after their 15-12 victory in Christchurch on Friday night.

Watch all the action from the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia on Stan Sport, the only place to watch every match live and on demand

It would take a brave soul to argue the Crusaders deserved to beat the southerners in front of 17,000 fans at Apollo Projects Stadium.

Not that winning ugly is necessarily a bad thing.

Trailing 12-10 inside the final 10 minutes, and starved of possession and territory, the Crusaders went ahead after they bravely turned down the posts and kicked for touch.

READ MORE: Ange the immortal? What this trophy should mean

READ MORE: Galvin set to lose millions as two rival offers revealed

READ MORE: Origin captain's wife blasts 'disgusting' messages

Prop Tamaiti Williams smashed over a moment after the lineout drive came up short, before James O'Connor's missed penalty kept the Highlanders within three.

A month after they made 270 tackles against the Highlanders en route to a big win in Dunedin, the Crusaders were made to make another 217.

Led by flanker Tom Christie, No 8 Christian Lio-Willie and midfielder Braydon Ennor, they defended brilliantly for much of the game, too.

But they also got some luck.

Including Millar's late miss, he and Taine Robinson combined to miss five kicks on a night the Highlanders needed a bonus point win to keep their dim playoff hopes alive.

Reece's record-breaking try wasn't the prettiest of his bunch, but it was crucial as the Crusaders powered to the top of the Super Rugby ladder for at least 24 hours.

Reece pulled one clear of Hurricanes great TJ Perenara when he touched down in the 14th minute of the match.

It marked his 31st in home games, although he was made to wait for what felt like an age for confirmation he had indeed touched down as TMO Richard Kelly poured over footage of Reece picking up the ball at the base of the ruck and diving for the line.

It all looked rather comfortable as the Crusaders led 10-0, and the sold out crowd let Reece hear it.

But, a week after Jamie Joseph's Highlanders rolled up their sleeves and gave the Hurricanes all they could handle but came up short, they again fronted and asked some serious questions of the Crusaders' title credentials.

For starters, head coach Rob Penney still hasn't figured out how to ensure his team can muster more possession and play in the right parts of the field, a problem which has dogged them.

As for the Highlanders, who looked anything but wooden spooners, they will feel they should have won this match. And they won't need to look back at the tape to know they should have held a halftime lead.

NEW PODCAST! The Inside Line crew answer listener questions including a looming Waratahs cleanout and a soft stomping ban

After all, they were all over the Crusaders, launching raid after raid inside their 22 and looking the hungrier of the teams.

The only problem was they couldn't crack the red and blacks until All Blacks captain Scott Barrett threw a horrible pass for Timoci Tavatavanawai to scoop up, before Jonah Lowe dived over.

Talk about coughing up a soft one after the Crusaders' defence had been so stout, forcing multiple mistakes with their swarming and hard-hitting tackling.

Lowe had gone so close moments earlier, only to be penalised with the line begging for holding on.

Then Crusaders flanker Tom Christie earned another crunch penalty on the line to defuse another promising raid.

It felt like the Highlanders, who didn't help their own cause through a lack of execution, might never breach them.

That theme continued into the second half as the Crusaders again made a series of brilliant stops inside their 22, before Robinson finished off a smooth set piece try on the back of a lineout.

If only he arrived in Christchurch with his kicking radar.