Crusaders player ratings vs Highlanders | Super Rugby Pacific
The Crusaders have remained unbeaten two rounds into the Super Rugby Pacific season, scoring a 34-19 win over the Highlanders in Dunedin.
The Highlanders kept the Crusaders in check throughout the first three-quarters of the match, with the Crusaders often having to sustain long periods on defence. Late in the game, however, the Crusaders classy backs became more prominent on attack and the home side couldn’t repel every dazzling line break from their opposites.
It was a solid game from the Crusaders all-around, but there were a few players who stood out in all facets of the match.
1. Joe Moody – 5
Oddly, looked better as a ball carrier than a distributor. Not especially dynamic all-around – the Crusaders need more from the big All Black. Off in 51st minute.
2. Brodie McAlister – 6
Reliable at lineout time, conceding just two throws. Nice dominant tackle on Mitch Hint late in the first half to snuff out a Highlanders attack. Showed good hands on attack throughout the match but especially in the second stanza, combining with the rest of his forwards well. Off in 77th minute.
3. Oli Jager – 7
An ever-willing ball carrier. Made a couple of big hits on defence in the first half. Perhaps the best tighthead prop in New Zealand right now? Off in 58th minute.
4. Scott Barrett – 7
Handy on defence, regularly managing to hold the ball carrier up and slow down the attack. Good breakdown steal early in the second half. Discipline was again an issue for the Crusaders when they were under the pump and the captain needs to take ownership of that. Made 15 tackles throughout the game.
5. Sam Whitelock – 6
Got busier and busier as the game wore on, becoming more prominent with the ball in hand. Mostly reliable in the lineouts, though conceded one throw to Bryn Evans when hot on attack.
6. Pablo Matera – 4
Wasn’t sighted until the 20th minute of the match. A very quiet game for the Argentinian import. Off in 58th minute.
7. Tom Christie – 6
Per usual, a machine on defence, making over 20 tackles for the second week in a row (hitting 25 tonight). Strong early, keeping the Highlanders honest at the breakdown, but copped one penalty at the 10-minute mark. Not quite as impactful on the offence as he is on defence.
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8. Cullen Grace – 6
Made a poor start to the match, slipping up on Josh Timu to concede a penalty less than a minute into the game and then was pinged at the breakdown the next time he got involved. Made some sold carries but also found himself pushed back behind the advantage line at an equal rate. Clocked up the most metres of any Crusaders forward. Off in 68th minute.
9. Mitchell Drummond – 5
Busy without setting the world alight. Ran into Will Jordan when the fullback was in a good position to take Aaron Smith’s box kick into the 22, handing the ball (and an advantage) back to the Highlanders. Looks to be slipping behind fellow halfback Bryn Hall. Off in 49th minute.
10. Fergus Burke – 5
Like his halves partner, kept the Crusaders ticking without doing too much on his own. Relatively quiet in the first half but started to attack the line more in the second half. Crucially, won the breakdown penalty inside the Highlanders 22 from which Sevu Reece scored his opening try. Lost one high ball under pressure but made a difficult covering tackle on Fetuli Paea moments later to quell the Highlanders attack. Off in 63rd minute.
11. Leicester Fainga’anuku – 6
Penalised at the breakdown early. Had a quiet first half, bar one beautiful offload to send Whitelock away on a run with seconds left on the clock. Two carries late in the third quarter resulted in turnovers. As in the first half, threw an exceptional offload to George Bridge in the second, who gave the ball back in-field for Will Jordan to work his magic.
12. David Havili – 6
Used his kicking boots to good effect, pinning the Highlanders inside the 22 with his short-ball game. Less prominent than his teammates, more used as a distributor than a running threat. Threw some nice short passes to generate some momentum.
13. Braydon Ennor – 6
One of many Crusaders backs caught out by the opening Highlanders try. Zipped into the attacking line when needed but his hands let him down on more than one occasion.
14. Sevu Reece – 7
Always dangerous on offence, showing off his trademark dancing feet and keeping the Highlanders honest. Made a poor decision to kick when on attack inside the Highlanders 22 with men outside him but the Crusaders chase won the penalty at the subsequent breakdown and Reece was on hand to take the quick tap and score. His next kick, however, was a pearler, after he picked up a kick from Will Jordan and quickly put the ball to boot. Undid a bit of a his good work when he went solo into the Highlanders defence early in the second half and lost possession. Off in 63rd minute.
15. Will Jordan – 8
Once again one of the Crusaders’ best. Nice high-ball take to start off his match but lost possession at the breakdown. Made one lovely kick-pass to Reece when on attack. Used his speed to get around Connor Garden-Bachop and deliver the ball to Reece for the Crusaders’ second try and then scored one of his own in the second half, showing speed and strength to eventually get the ball over the line after receiving it on the Highlanders 10-metre line. Should have had a 50/22 moments later off a great kick but the ref thought otherwise.
Replacements:
16. Shilo Klein – N/A
On in 77th minute.
17. George Bower – 6
On in 51st minute. Instantly won a scrum penalty.
18. Tamaiti Williams – 6
On in 58th minute. Touched down in the final five minutes with a good short-distance carry for the Crusaders’ bonus point try.
19. Quinten Strange – 4
On in 58th minute. Didn’t have much to show for his time on the field, bar taking one kick to the back of the head.
20. Corey Kellow – N/A
On in 68th minute.
21. Bryn Hall – 7
On in 49th minute. Was more dynamic than the starting No 9. Won a breakdown penalty and put in some good effort on defence.
22. Simon Hickey – 6
On in 63rd minute. Demolished in his first attempted tackle of the game but showed nice hands to get the Crusaders attacking.
23. George Bridge – 7
On in 63rd minute. Strong cameo, particularly in the final 10 minutes, making some solid runs.
Comments on RugbyPass
Results probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
1 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
1 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
56 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
8 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
61 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to comments