MacDonald, who will work as an assistant to Scott Robertson (48) when the Crusaders' coach takes over at the All Blacks' helm later this year, saw his team dismantled in the first 40 minutes and conceded the Blues were no match for the reigning champions.

"When you go up against the Crusaders they'll test you and you've got to have your mindset tough," said MacDonald.

"It's the dark arts of the game that they're so good at and for us to not be able to step up when it was our opportunity to do that is probably the thing that hurts the most.

"We're not a great team, we aren't nailing the big moments, big games and that's obviously frustrating.

"But there's something about this group that can turn into a very good team and I just hope they stick tight and whoever takes the helm next is able just to keep cranking them forward."

The Crusaders were ruthless in the first half, scoring four unanswered tries to hold a 29-point lead by the interval over the team they defeated in last year's final.

Victory took the Crusaders into their sixth Super Rugby decider since 2017 and either the Waikato Chiefs or the ACT Brumbies, who face off on Saturday, will stand between Robertson and the title next week.

"It's a big lesson tonight," said MacDonald. "They brought the intensity that you would expect. That's why they've been unbeaten here for probably 30 games now.

"We had high hopes and for it to end like this isn't ideal, but sport can be brutal at times - the highs are high and the lows are brutally low.

"You put your heart and soul into these big games. You're thinking about them months out, and when all doesn't go the way you hoped, it's always frustrating."