1
The latest round of action in Super Rugby Aotearoa opened with a surprise result in Christchurch, the Hurricanes defeating the Crusaders 34-32 to blow the title race wide open. Hurricanes travelled buoyed by their 29-27 victory over the Blues in round six, yet they faced a Crusaders side well-rested after having the bye last weekend following their 26-15 win over the Blues in round five.
ADVERTISEMENT
Both sides had much to play for. A bonus point victory would all but seal another title for the Crusaders, yet a win for the Hurricanes would edge them closer to the front runners. Crusaders coach Scott Robertson made several changes to his matchday 23. With full-back David Havili set to miss the balance of the tournament through a persistent thumb injury, rising star Will Jordan was given another opportunity to press for All Black selection.
Regular centre Braydon Ennor was rested due to a foot injury sustained against the Blues, allowing Fetuli Paea to start. True to form, the match produced provincial rugby of the highest calibre with the visitors eventually outmuscling the hosts in a thriller. Here is how RugbyPass rated the Crusaders players:
1. Joe Moody – 7/10
Professional performance by ‘Big Joe’. Dominated in the set-piece and despite starting a wee bit quiet, brought energy and did his best to get his side a result that wasn’t to be.
2. Codie Taylor – 6.5
Made too many uncharacteristic errors. Lineout was off, thwarting his team’s opportunity to launch an attack. Was tireless in defence, notching up 13 tackles. A fair effort, but not his best night.
3. Michael Alaalatoa 6.5
Solid in the set-piece but didn’t impose himself as he had previously in attack in previous rounds. Didn’t shirk it in defence.
ADVERTISEMENT
4. Samuel Whitelock – 7
Another influential performance. Tried to the final whistle to turn the tide with all his experience, guile and skill. An absolute competitive performance. Exhausted himself for the cause.
5. Mitchell Dunshea – 6.5
A fair shift yet somewhat quite in defence despite securing a turnover. Needed to muscle up to the Hurricanes more.
ADVERTISEMENT
How's the offload from Goodhue ????
Catch more of this excitement LIVE on @skysportnz.#CRUvHUR pic.twitter.com/BEtiZZjpv0
— Super Rugby (@SuperRugbyNZ) July 25, 2020
6. Tom Sanders – 6
Made a number of early errors, be it pushing a pass or giving away a penalty. It was a mentally vacant effort by ‘The Colonel’ at times, but to his credit he never quit and was unlucky not to be the recipient of a short ball off Richie Mo’unga that would have shredded the Hurricanes defence, yet the pass didn’t come.
7. Tom Christie – 6.5
Had a fair crack as always but didn’t influence the breakdown as much as he team perhaps would have liked.
8. Whetukamokamo Douglas – 6
A little quiet, he was outmuscled in the in the tight. Has had better performances.
9. Bryn Hall – 5.5
Missed a coupled of tackles and didn’t appear to disturb TJ Perenara. Replaced in the 48th minute.
10. Richie Mo’unga – 8
Another quality performance, scoring 17 points for his side. Had the opportunity to square it up at 34-34 but his conversion drifted left. While he may attract some criticism for that, without his efforts the Crusaders would have been embarrassed.
This was outrageous from the All Blacks wing ? #CRUvHUR #SuperRugbyAotearoahttps://t.co/FcuqHYBSmL
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 25, 2020
11. George Bridge – 7
Didn’t do much wrong but the Hurricanes scored at least three tries down his side. Despite only missing one tackle, his defensive combination with Paea didn’t appear to gel.
12. Jack Goodhue – 5
Every player has a match they would like to forget and this would be his one. Four missed tackles coupled with discipline issues wasn’t the performance his side needed. Was outplayed and that is not something you see often.
13. Fetuli Paea – 6
A fair effort. Had some quality touches, yet was still a bit quiet. Didn’t appear to gel with Bridge in defence.
14. Sevu Reece – 7.5
Influential performance. Scored a wonderful try to give his side an opportunity to take the match to a golden point scenario. It was a deserved try as he was one the best Crusaders.
15. Will Jordan – 6
It didn’t quite happen for him. Despite having some quality involvements, he committed a cardinal sin by letting a Jordie Barrett kick deep into the Crusaders half bounce. Not a performance that enhanced his All Black claims.
Half decent game that was! #SuperRugbyAotearoa pic.twitter.com/G1viGdI6P1
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 25, 2020
Replacements:
16. Andrew Makalio – N/A
On in the 75th minute.
17. George Bower – 5
On in the 63rd minute. Did his job.
18. Oliver Jager – 5
Another on in the 63rd minute. Also did his job.
19. Quinten Strange – 6.5
On in the 57th minute. Impressed with his intent and physicality and scored a much-needed try for his side working off second phase from an attacking scrum, yet was sin-binned for foul play at the death. Despite that there was a bit to like about his efforts.
20. Sione Havili – 5
On in the 60th minute but didn’t bring the impact needed.
21. Mitchell Drummond – 6
On in the 48th minute. Had a crack but on occasion was prone to the odd poor pass.
22. Brett Cameron – N/A
23. Leicester Fainga’anuku – 5
On in the 60th minute. Didn’t bring much influence for a player of his talent.
What a send-off for Ben Lam ahead of his move to Bordeaux! https://t.co/aaRoGW1gcP
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 25, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
Bulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
20 Go to commentsI’m yet to see why Grace would be an ABs contender. He’s pedestrian and lacks the dominance required of a top flight 8.
7 Go to commentsGee my Highlanders were terrible. They have gone backwards since the start of the season. The trouble began when we left Millar behind to prep as the 10 against the Brumbies and he was disconnected from the team that came back from Aussie. We rested Patchell for that game and we blew an avalanche of ball in good attacking positions in the 1st half. Against the Rebels we seem to of gone into a pod system with forwards hanging off from the breakdown leaving Fakatava to secure our ball!
72 Go to commentsPot Kettle, the English and French teams have done it for years.
20 Go to commentsHas virtually played every minute of previous games. Back row of Li Lo Willie , Grace and Blackadder would be the 1. Crusaders issue is a very average 1st 5 who cannot run. Kicking in general play is also below par They need to put Yong Kemara in. He must have so.e talent for them to bring him down from Waikato. Hoehepa would struggle to play in so.e club sided
7 Go to commentsI hope this a good thing making all these changes!
2 Go to commentsThe Hurricanes are good, especially with a decent coach now. However, let’s be real, the Crusaders and Chiefs are clearly a good degree weaker without the players they’ve lost overseas now. The Canes lost one player. It’s also why the aussie teams ‘seem’ to be stronger.
9 Go to commentsOr you could develop your own players instead of constantly taking from the SH competition and weakening it in the process? With all the player and financial resources these unions have compared to SH countries you’d think they could manage that, or is weakening the SH comps and their national sides an added bonus? Probably.
3 Go to commentsNot so fast Aaron, we might need you in black yet lol. God knows he’d be a lot less nerve-racking than hot and (very) cold players like Perofeta. It’s really a shame Reuben Love isn’t playing 10, we’ve got enough 15 options.
4 Go to commentsAnd those from the NH still seem to be puzzled (and delighted) why NZ’s depth isn’t what it once was. Over 600 NZ players overseas, that’s insane. This sort of deal is why Super Rugby coaches have admitted they struggle now to find enough quality to fill out their squads.
6 Go to commentsArticle intéressant ! La question devrait régulièrement se poser pour les jeunes français originaires de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Wallis-et-Futuna et de Polynésie entre la Nouvelle-Zélande et la Métropole… Difficile pour la fédération française de rugby de se positionner : soit le choix est fait de dénicher les jeunes talents et de les faire venir très tôt en Métropole, au risque de les déraciner, soit on prend le risque de se les faire “piller” par les All Blacks qui, telle une araignée, essaye de récupérer tous les talents des îles du Pacifique… À la France de se défendre en développant l’aura du XV de France et des clubs français dans ses collectivités d’Outre-mer !
3 Go to commentsWrong bay. He needs to come to the REAL BAY which is Bay Of Plenty and have a crack at making the Chiefs.
3 Go to commentsIs Barrett going play full back??? They already have all the centers…
15 Go to commentsForgive my ignorance, I might not fully understand so would appreciate clarification: Didn’t the Bulls have to fly with three different carriers, paid for by the South African Rugby Union, whilst Edinburgh got a chartered flight sponsored by EPCR? Also, as far as I understand it South African teams don’t yet share in the revenue from the competition and are not allowed to host Semi-finals or Finals at home. Surely if everyone wants South Africans to “take the competition seriously” then they must make South Africans feel welcome, allow them to share in the revenue, and give them the same levels of access as the teams from the other countries. Just a reminder that South Africa has a large and passionate Rugby audience. Just by virtue of our teams being a part of these competitions means that more of us are likely to watch the knockout games, even if our teams haven’t qualified. It would be silly to alienate such a large audience by making them feel unwelcome.
20 Go to commentsFirst of all. This guy is very much behind the curve. All the bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning took place days ago already. Not adding anything to the topic other than more bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning. 🍼 Second of all, not one mention of the fact that South African teams can’t get home semi finals or finals. The tournament was undermined and devalued by the administrators. 🤡 Thirdly, football teams often have to juggle selections in mid week games, premier games, champions league games etc. and will from time to time prioritize certain titles over others. 🐒 And lastly FEK Neil, and anyone else for that matter, for insisting on telling teams how to manage themselves. If they make what is largely a business decision that suits them and doesn’t suit you - tough shite. 💩 It’s not rocket science as to why the Bulls did what they did. If this guy is too slow to figure it out (and is deliberately not mentioning one of the key reasons why) then he isn’t a journalist. He should join the rest of us pundit plebs in comments section. 🥴
20 Go to commentsSo the first door to knock on Rob is Parliament followed by HMRC. The Irish Revenue deliver a 40% tax relief rebate on the HIGHEST EARNING TEN YEARS of every pro Irish rugby players contract earnings at retirement. That goes a long way to both retaining their best talent and freeing up wages for marquee players. Who knows, if that had been in place in the UK, you might not have been able to poach Hoggy and Jonny Gray from Glasgow…!!!
3 Go to comments1. True, if that “free” ticket means access to all but the prized exhibit - EVIP only. SA cannot host semis, even if they’ve earned it (see Sharks vs ASM Clermont Auvergne at… Twickenham Stoop). 2. Why no selective outrage over Lyon doing the exact same thing a week earlier? Out of all the countries France send the most “B teams”, why nobody talking about “disrespect” and “prioritising domestic leagues” and “kicking them out”? 3. Why no mention of the Sharks fielding all of their Springboks for the second rate Challenge cup QF? No commitment? 4. Why no mention of all the SA teams qualifying for respective euro knock out comps in the two seasons they’ve been in it? How many euro teams have qualified for KO’s in their history? Can’t compete? 5. Why no mention of SA teams beating French and English giants La Rochelle and Saracens? How many euro teams have done that in their history? Add no quality? The fact is that SA teams are only in their second season in europe, with no status and a fraction of the resources. Since joining the URC, SA has seen a repatriation of a number of players, and this will only grow once SA start sharing in the profits of competing in these comps, meaning bigger squads with greater depth and quality, meaning they don’t have to prioritise comps as they have to now - they don’t have imports from Pacifica and South America and everywhere else in between like “European” teams have - also less “Saffas” in Prem and T14, that’s what we want right? 'If the South Africans are in, they need to be all in' True, and we have to ensure we give them the same status and resources as we give everyone else to do just that. A small compromise on scheduling will go a long way in avoiding these situations, but guess what, France and England wont compromise on scheduling because they ironically… prioritise their domestic comps, go figure!
20 Go to commentsthe success of the premiership can be summarized by : only 10 teams. It makes a huge difference with the overcrowded top 14 (let us not talk about Leinster and URC…)
2 Go to commentsGood for him. The ABs were fooling around again with converted fullbacks that had a penetration of a marshmallow. Laumape or as Aki has shown for Ireland, go forward is important in the centres. If it had been DMac - Aki- Aumua - Ioane- Telea- Jordan in France the final result would have been different.
4 Go to commentsDan Carter a apporté son professionnalisme, des méthodes de travail, un esprit qui manquaient à l’USAP. Son influence, même une fois blessé a été énorme. Et pour citer une anecdote, certains soirs il venait de lui-même à l’entraînement des jeunes pour dispenser ses conseils. On ne peut pas compter ce qu’il a apporté au club en heures de jeu sur le terrain. Est-ce que le club en a eu pour son argent ? Avec la publicité sur son nom et le titre, je suppose que oui.
1 Go to comments