Wellington — The Crusaders started their long trek from Christchurch to SA in search of their eighth Super Rugby title with Kieran Read and Owen Franks on the aircraft despite limping off in the semi-final win over the Chiefs. All Blacks captain Read hurt his knee and went off in the final few minutes of the 27-13 victory at Rugby League Park, while Franks was replaced at half-time after a long-standing Achilles injury flared up. The Crusaders were required to wait until after the semifinal between the Lions and Hurricanes before they knew where they would be playing the final and headed to the airport soon after the South Africans won the game 44-29. Both players were heading to SA, the Crusaders told local media on Sunday. Their inclusion was good news for the seven-time champions who again on Saturday showed their ability to win games most other teams would probably lose. Several of their 14 regular season wins were come-from-behind victories and on Saturday they had virtually no...
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