Harrison kicks Waratahs to extra-time victory over Crusaders
Will Harrison has proved the hero for the NSW Waratahs, kicking them to a 43-40 win over the Crusaders with two clutch kicks.
Darren Coleman's side trailed with two minutes to go after a late Christian Lio-Willie try.
Catch every game of the Super Rugby Pacific LIVE, ad-free and on demand on Stan Sport.
Up stepped Harrison, coming off the bench to deliver magic for the Waratahs.
He kicked the penalty to tie the game after the siren after 12 lead changes.
The playmaker then produced the winning drop goal three minutes into extra time to send Sydney wild.
On the night the Waratahs honoured their champion side of 2014, the win kept the current team's finals equation solvable, a point outside the top eight.
An expansive first half set the tone for the night and Sevu Reece was in everything for the Crusaders.
The right winger opening the scoring inside a minute after Dylan Pietsch had the ball raked out of his hands from the kick-off.
With his second try, Reece equalled Caleb Ralph on 52 tries, the most any man has scored for the Crusaders, and for good measure set the visitors' third up by breaking free down the right.
The Waratahs' best set play of the first half, a driving maul, helped Ned Hanigan to a try of his own and the hosts nearly scored the same way again just before the break.
Referee Nic Berry ruled there had been a hand under the ball as Charlie Gamble burrowed over, meaning the Waratahs had to be content with a 23-22 half-time lead.
The tight margin proved a sign of things to come as Harrison sealed a tight win off his boot.
Lio-Willie looked to have sealed the game for the Crusaders in the final two minutes of regulation time when he charged over on the short side from a scrum. The visitors were up 40-37 after Rivez Reihana nailed the conversion from the left side of the park.
But just after the restart, Crusaders winger Johnny McNicholl was ruled to have deliberately knocked on, tapping a Waratahs pass to ground just as the hosts were spreading the ball.
McNicholl was shown a yellow card, reducing the Crusaders to 14 players, and giving Harrison the chance to kick for penalty goal.
The back-up fly-half nailed the kick from just inside halfway to send an already classic match into extra time.
Once there, Harrison stepped up with his second clutch play in a matter of minutes, sending the ball over the black dot from the 22 to seal a famous win to send the majority of the 12,894 in attendance wild.
CRUSADERS 40
Tries: Reece 2, McLeod, Drummond, Lio-Willie
Cons: Hohepa 3/5
Pens: Hohepa 3/3
WARATAHS 43
Tries: Swinton, Hanigan, Pietsch, Heaven
Cons: Edmed 2/2, Harrison 2/2
Pens: Edmed 3/3, Harrison 1/1
Drop Goal: Harrison 1/1
NSW WARATAHS v CRUSADERS TEAMS
WARATAHS (1-15): Hayden Thompson-Stringer, Julian Heaven, Harry Johnson-Holmes, Jed Holloway, Ned Hanigan, Lachlan Swinton, Charlie Gamble, Langi Gleeson, Jake Gordon (c), Tane Edmed, Dylan Pietsch, Lalakai Foketi, Izaia Perese, Triston Reilly, Max Jorgensen
RESERVES: Theo Fourie, Lewis Ponini, Tom Ross, Miles Amatosero, Hugh Sinclair, Jack Grant, Will Harrison, Joey Walton
CRUSADERS (1-15): George Bower, George Bell, Fletcher Newell, Quinten Strange, Jamie Hannah, Ethan Blackadder, Tom Christie (c), Cullen Grace, Noah Hotham, Riley Hohepa, Johnny McNicholl, Dallas McLeod, Levi Aumua, Sevu Reece, Chay Fihaki
RESERVES: Brodie McAlister, Joe Moody, Owen Franks, Dominic Gardiner, Christian Lio-Willie, Mitch Drummond, Rivez Reihana, Macca Springer
Referee: Nic Berry
Assistant Referees: Damon Murphy, Jordan Kaminski
