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Crusaders teams don't beat themselves like the Hurricanes, they are far too good
Knowing the result changes things, obviously.
Work commitments meant I didn’t watch the Hurricanes’ home clash with the Crusaders live, but I had it taped and then avoided any outlet that might give the result away.
In the end a mate rang and let the cat out of the bag, which kind of changed the viewing experience. Although only to a point.
Hurricanes co-captain TJ Perenara suggested after the match that his team had been right in it at 25-25.
That sounds fair enough in theory. But even with full knowledge of what the eventual outcome would be, it was still impossible to watch events at Sky Stadium with any sense that the Crusaders might lose.
To be absolutely honest, they won that match at a canter and could’ve cleared out by far more than 39-25 if the mood had taken them, providing a sobering reminder of just how much better they are than everyone else.
It’s not just that the Crusaders are well-coached and well-disciplined. It’s not only their ability to execute their skills under pressure that sets them apart.
It’s that, purely and simply, they have way more good players than everyone else.
Take Scott Barrett, Quinten Strange, Tom Christie and Tom Sanders out of any other Super Rugby Aotearoa pack and see how you go. No Andrew Makalio or Harry Allan either? No worries.
The poor old Chiefs looked capable of being crowned Super Rugby champions when footy first kicked off for the year. But with no Atu Moli on deck and no Michael Allardice or Angus Ta’avao, they now look pretty ordinary indeed.
David Havili surely won’t spend the whole season on the bench for the Crusaders – having now recovered from stomach surgery – but what a luxury to have him as a second-half sub at Sky Stadium. And Mitchell Drummond and Ethan Blackadder and Oli Jager and Luke Romano and so on.
Leicester Fainga’anuku might be the main attacking threat at some franchises. At the Crusaders he’s doing well to simply be in the reserves.
Players will always gravitate towards a winning team, but the Crusaders’ depth is testament to their ability to identify good, coachable talent and to then sell a culture and a way of playing to that talent.
Among the more unusual invitations to ever come my way, was one last week to a Zoom meeting with referees.
There will be people, those far more steeped in the game than I, who would have jumped at the chance. Me? No, thanks.
It was a pleasure to watch the way the Crusaders infringed on Sunday. It eventually led to the sin-binning of centre Jack Goodhue, but was a commendable tactic all the same.
Being well-coached and well-disciplined doesn’t have to mean being fair or playing to the rules or even to the spirit that the rules were intended. Sometimes it actually means giving away smart penalties at smart times and, boy, didn’t the Crusaders do that at Sky Stadium.
We’re all heartened by the Blues. They’re still very much a work in progress, but they’re winning and not by brilliant means either.
Some teams can’t win ugly or can’t win when it’s not their best day. The Blues were one of those, but aren’t now.
They’re still not the finished article, so they will make errors and they might still cough the odd game up.
But better to be the Blues right now than the Hurricanes, Highlanders and Chiefs. You feel those three are searching a bit. They’d all like to play a certain way, but don’t quite have the ability or nous or cattle to make that happen.
The Crusaders’ method is not only proven, but plain to see. Sure it evolves and gets tweaked, but the main principles remain.
Crusaders teams don’t beat themselves. They don’t, as Perenara did on Sunday, lament chances that got away or passes that didn’t stick.
Such was the Crusaders’ command over the Hurricanes, you’d have thought they’d been playing for months. Other teams might work their way into a season or offer excuses for why things didn’t work, but not them.
No, when you’re built on the sort of foundations the Crusaders are, then playing well is just the inevitable outcome.
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Comments on RugbyPass
Lets 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?
10 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.
9 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.
10 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.
22 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.
9 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…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to comments