Blues should feast on the Crusaders with Beauden Barrett's cool head

In all honesty, I see the Crusaders fumbling and bumbling their way to defeat in one Super Rugby Pacific semi-final and the Chiefs thrashing the Brumbies in the other.

No team has disappointed me more in 2025 than the Crusaders.

Last year was last year. A shambles from beginning to end, in which coach Rob Penney probably should’ve been made to walk the plank.

Having kept his job, though, I expected so much more from Penney and the team this season.

I expected a dour, territorial game. I expected a forward-orientated game plan and an emphasis on defence and goal kicking winning matches.

I’m afraid that every time I watch the Crusaders, I see a team determined to go around opponents. I see no respect for possession, no control from first five-eighth and set pieces that lack the solidity of Crusaders teams of old.

In short, I see a side that’s perhaps been fortunate to make it this far.

As I alluded to, that’s not what I want. In the interests of transparency, I want the CrusaderS to wipe the floor with everyone this year.

I just don’t see how they’re going to.

The Blues, by anyone’s measure, shouldn’t be in a semi-final. In any competition worth taking seriously, their 6-8 regular season record should’ve disqualified them from playoff participation.

But here we are, with the Blues on the brink being able to defend their 2024 title. I put a lot of that down to the evolution of Beauden Barrett’s game. Put him at 10 for the Crusaders and I’d expect a far different result in Christchurch on Friday.

Put simply, Barrett no longer tends to do things that lose his team games.

He kicks well, he doesn’t push unnecessary passes and he ensures the attack is predominantly direct.

I see the Blues feasting on Crusaders’ errors and methodically building an impregnable points advantage.

The Chiefs, meanwhile, ought not to feel any pressure ahead of their clash with the Brumbies. Not so much because the opponents are unworthy, more because they’ve been let out of jail.

Again, in any serious competition, last week’s defeat for the Chiefs would’ve been curtains.

Instead they’re a so-called lucky loser, with few consequences to fear this Saturday.

I’d expect them to play with freedom and finish as 20-point victors.

That wasn’t a throwaway line about the Blues earlier. Should this weekend’s games go as I’m suggesting, then I think the Blues will win the final.

For all the champagne rugby the Chiefs have played this year, they’re yet to convince anyone that they’re not mentally brittle. Last week’s loss to the Blues was ample evidence of that.

With the test season upon us, I’ve plenty of time to get back aboard my Damian McKenzie hobbyhorse. All I’ll say for now is that, if that guy can’t guide this Chiefs team – who we all seem to agree is the best in the competition – then he has no business ever playing at 10 for the All Blacks.

That’s all in the future. For now, I’m just excited that Super Rugby has finally reached its genuine knockout phase.

Enjoy the semis, everyone.