Carter kicks Crusaders to victory

Flyhalf Daniel Carter kicked 12 points as the Canterbury Crusaders beat the Otago Highlanders 32-17 in this morning’s Super 14 rugby match.

Andy Ellis, Jared Payne, Zac Guilford and Sean Maitland scored tries for the Crusaders, who took a bonus point from a four-tries-to-two win. Carter converted three tries and kicked two penalties.

Crusaders halfback Andy Ellis was awarded a contentious try when he appeared to ground the ball short of the goal line, and Carter's conversion gave the Crusaders a 10-0 lead at the break.

Payne's try pushed the score to 15-0 just three minutes into the second half and it seemed the Crusaders would run away with the match.

However the Highlanders fought back immediately, with Hobbs converting his own try in the 46th minute to make it 15-7.

A Carter penalty after 62 minutes put the Crusaders up 18-7 but a brilliant try by Hobbs in the 58th minute made it 18-14 and Hobbs' penalty after 66 minutes sliced the lead to a single point.

The Highlanders placed the Crusaders under stern pressure in the last 10 minutes, but tries by Guilford in the 72nd and then by Maitland in the 77th lifted the seven-time champions to victory.