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Sydney - Captain Kieran Read scored a first-half try and the Crusaders held on for a 17-13 win over the Waratahs in a rematch of last year's Super 14 final.
It was only the second win in six matches for the Crusaders, while the Waratahs lost the second time in a row after opening the season with four straight wins.
Last year in the final, All Blacks flyhalf Daniel Carter kicked four penalties and a drop goal to give the Crusaders to a 20-12 win over New South Wales, their seventh title in 13 years.
The Waratahs were coming off a 21-11 defeat by the Brumbies last weekend, while the Crusaders played to a 23-23 draw with the Western Force.
Read scored the only try of the first half on Saturday, converted by flyhalf Stephen Brett, to give the New Zealand side a 7-0 lead at half-time.
'Stuck at it'
In the second half, Leon MacDonald added a try for the Crusaders while Benn Robinson crossed for the home side's only try.
Waratahs captain Phil Waugh was disappointed with his side's second straight loss.
"If we drop that much ball, we won't win another game this season," Waugh said. "So we've got a lot of work to do in that area."
Read said he was proud of the Crusaders, who were missing captain Richie McCaw and who had only six players from last year's championship team.
"That was unbelievable, a great effort from us," Read said. "We needed an 80-minute performance and we stuck at it right to the end."
Scorers:
Crusaders: 17 (Kieran Read, Leon MacDonald tries; Colin Slade penalty, conversion, Stephen Brett conversion),
Waratahs: 13 (Benn Robinson try, Kurtley Beale penalty, conversion, Daniel Halangahu penalty)
