Robertson hails 'special' Eden Park success as Crusaders win again

Canterbury Crusaders coach Scott Robertson said he sympathised with Auckland Blues' Leon MacDonald after ending his side's 15-game winning streak to claim the Super Rugby title at Eden Park on Saturday.

The Crusaders overcame a rain-sodden pitch and a partisan home crowd to claim an 11th Super Rugby title with a 21-7 win over the Blues as Robertson's outfit maintained their remarkable stranglehold on the competition.

"Throughout the week we dug deep into what it takes to win a championship and a lot of the other teams that have done it and why," Robertson said.

"We used a metaphor for stepping up and how we would need to be better than the rest. Part of the season we weren't but when we needed to be, we were.

"When you're getting chased you've got to be hungry every year and that's my job to motivate the boys and find different reasons to dig deep and keep pushing yourself.

"The season the Blues had is incredible and that's tough, I really feel for them. Leon is a good mate and a great coach."

The Crusaders had been second-best to the Blues throughout the regular Super Rugby season, finishing six points adrift of the Auckland-based side in the table before heading into the playoffs.

After opening the season with a loss against the Wellington Hurricanes, the Blues embarked on a streak that included a 27-23 win over the Crusaders before topping the standings and seeing off Otago Highlanders and ACT Brumbies in the playoffs.

Six of those wins came in Auckland at Eden Park before the loss in the final to the Crusaders, which made the victory especially sweet for Robertson.

"It's special to win at the Garden. We talked about it," said Robertson. "It's hard for any team playing the All Blacks or the Blues to win here. It's a special