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Crusaders player ratings vs Chiefs | Super Rugby Pacific
The Crusaders have bounced back from their first loss of the season to beat the Chiefs in their rematch in Hamilton, prevailing in a 34-19 Super Rugby Pacific win at FMG Stadium Waikato.
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Here’s how they rated:
1. Finlay Brewis – 6
Quiet shift for the big man, who scrummaged well but wasn’t overly active on either side of the ball. Off in the 46th minute.
2. Codie Taylor – 7.5
Carried often and distributed well. Didn’t go wrong with his lineout throwing and was busy on defence, winning a turnover for the Crusaders. Racked up 13 tackles and capped his impressive performance, which lasted for the whole 80 minutes, with a well-deserved try.
3. Oli Jager – 6
Impressed with his carrying in the loose. Eight tackles from eight attempts and anchored the scrum well. Off in the 55th minute.
4. Scott Barrett (c) – 7
A strong showing at the set piece was counter-balanced by, for the most part, some good ball-handling skills. Won most of his side’s lineout ball and won all 12 of his tackles without fail.
5. Quinten Strange – 6
Acquitted himself well. Won lineout ball for his side and got his mitts on the ball on occasion. A great back-up to have for Sam Whitelock.
6. Ethan Blackadder – 7
A big shift on defence with 12 tackles. Was a pest for the opposition defence, constantly making himself a presence looking to thwart any attack they looked to instigate.
7. Tom Christie – 7.5
Another typically industrious performance by the Crusaders tearaway. Topped his side’s tackle count with 20 and was a nuisance at the breakdown, stealing four turnovers. Carried decently as well.
8. Cullen Grace – 7.5
Scored a well-worked try to open the scoring. Should have been rewarded with a try for great support play and handling skills to run in his second after scooping the ball up off his bootlaces, but it was scrubbed out due to Strange’s forward pass. Dangerous with ball in hand, which may be useful for his All Blacks aspirations.
9. Bryn Hall – 6
Shaky box kick needlessly put the ball dead. Distributed crisply as always. Off in the 46th minute.
10. Richie Mo’unga – 7
Showed glimpses of his hot-stepping brilliance with ball in hand, showing his exceptional footwork to beat an array of Chiefs defenders.
11. George Bridge – 6
Coughed up the ball cold early in the second half. Ran up a heap of metres, finishing the match with 81 metres. Didn’t offer much in the way of attacking threat.
12. David Havili – 7
Did well to manipulate the Chiefs’ defensive line and set Will Jordan away for a try within the first 20 minutes. Was great in terms of distribution and had his tackle count enter the double digits, but disappointed himself with one kick that sailed out on the full. Still an admirable effort in his 100th match.
13. Leicester Fainga’anuku – 7
Plenty of power and strength to crash through a number of Chiefs defenders and dot down right by the posts. Offered plenty with ball in hand, although some defensive frailties led to three missed tackles. Off in the 76th minute.
14. Chay Fihaki – 4
Not the performance he would have been after. Needed to make a statement to push himself up an outside back pecking order that also features Jordan, Sevu Reece, George Bridge, Leicester Fainga’anuku and Braydon Ennor. Instead he only ran for three metres and missed three of his four tackle attempts. Off in the 46th minute.
15. Will Jordan – 8.5
Scored his obligatory try inside the opening quarter of the match. Chalked up a ton of running metres, as is normally the case, topping the count with a whopping 143 metres from 12 carries. Proved himself as a quality prospect at the breakdown as well, nabbing three turnovers. A quality player.
Reserves
16. Fletcher Newell – N/A
17. George Bower – 6
On in the 46th minute. Brilliant work to strip the Chiefs of the ball in general play. Quite mobile for a prop.
18. Tamaiti Williams – 6
On in the 55th minute. A behemoth of a man who added size and power to his side’s pack, which was valuable at set piece time.
19. Mitchell Dunshea – N/A
On in the 52nd minute before departing again due to injury in the 69th minute.
20. Corey Kellow – NA
On in the 69th minute.
21. Mitchell Drummond – 6
On in the 46th minute. Added a lot of impetus with his fresh legs, to the benefit of the Crusaders.
22. Fergus Burke – NA
On in the 76th minute.
23. Sevu Reece – 8
On in the 46th minute. Provided plenty of spark off the bench. Wonderful finishing ability was enough to see him through for his 37th try as a Crusader, the third-most in franchise history. Continued to look threatening throughout. Should start next week.
Comments on RugbyPass
The game was a quarter final, not a semi final. Barrett will be here for 6 months, he is no one's replacement at 13. That mantle will most likely ultimately go to Jamie Osborne, though Garry Ringrose has at least 4 more years in him. The long term problem position (in the next 3 years) for Leinster is tighthead prop, though there are a couple of prospects at schools level.
21 Go to commentsSo much for all that hype surrounding the ‘revival’ of Aussie rugby. The Blues were without the likes of regular starters Perofeta, Sullivan, Christie etc… This was a capitulation of the highest order by Australia’s finest. Joe Schmidt definitely has his work cut out for him.
2 Go to commentsYes they can ignore Sotutu. Like Akira Ioane plays OK at Super level but gets lost in tests. Too many chances too many failures.
2 Go to commentsA wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
11 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
11 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
25 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
10 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
37 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
37 Go to comments