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Crusaders win thrilling battle with Blues to extend unbeaten streak at home to 36 Super Rugby matches
So near, so far, for the Blues. The Crusaders extended their unbeaten run against Super Rugby opposition in Christchurch to 36 matches, by delivering another lesson in patient persistence and ultimately triumphing 26-15.
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The Blues arrived with the required attitude and intent to challenge the benchmark that is the Crusaders. For 50 minutes Leon MacDonald’s men were in control, too, but as many others have discovered, nothing less than a complete performance is good enough to halt the relentless red machine.
In many ways this match could be the rebirth of a once great rivalry – the Blues proving they are close to reaching the top echelon. Just not close enough tonight.
For now, the Crusaders deserve to retain the mantle.
The question of whether the Blues are the real deal received an answer of sorts as their seven-match unbeaten run came to an end. They can take pride from this performance, however, with ill-discipline and errors under the high ball in the second half proving costly.
Will Jordan finished the job with the Crusaders 75th minute try but it was Richie Mo’unga who near-singlehandedly took it upon his shoulders to spark his team’s second-half comeback victory which sees them place one hand on the inaugural Super Rugby Aotearoa trophy.
As they did against the Chiefs and Highlanders in recent weeks, the Crusaders turned the screws in the final quarter after trailing 7-6 at halftime, with their bench offering telling contributions.
It was evident from opening exchanges that this match would be on a different level to anything we have witnessed thus far during Super Rugby Aotearoa. While frustrating lengthy scrum resets and breakdown penalties stunted flow, these two previously undefeated teams delivered a match of test-match quality.
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The game exploded into life in the second half when referee Paul Williams awarded a contentious scrum penalty to the Blues five metres out from the Crusaders line. Akira Ioane tapped quickly and a couple of wide passes later brother Rieko Ioane crashed over to give the Blues a six-point lead after Braydon Ennor charged Otere Black’s attempted conversion.
That strike sparked something within Mo’unga, the All Blacks first five-eighth pushing his side towards victory. Not long after a cheeky quick restart Mo’unga delivered a brilliant cut-out ball that put George Bridge into space on the outside. Bridge found Mitchell Drummond back on the inside, and the Crusaders stole a one-point lead for the first time in the match.
It was this moment that turned the match.
After being lulled into a nervous dim for much of the contest, the Christchurch crowd found their voice as 18,000 attempted to will their team home. Once they took the lead the Crusaders never looked like relinquishing the momentum.
Led by an impressive physical effort from their forward pack, defensively the Blues were largely superb. They came off the line at pace and repeatedly knocked the Crusaders ball carriers back. Their kick chase, goal-line defence and pressuring kickers all set the tone.
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The Blues took the game to the Crusaders. They attacked the breakdown where Dalton Papalii asserted his presence while the Blues hounded the Crusaders’ key decision-makers, Mo’unga, David Havili and Bryn Hall, into uncharacteristic errors such as booting the ball out on the full.
Magical finish from this blockbuster on the right wing ? #SuperRugbyAotearoa #CRUvBLUhttps://t.co/GSO50dbivd
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 11, 2020
Midway through the first half the Crusaders turned down a regulation penalty attempt and Mo’unga kicked the ball dead in goal – one small example that they were rattled by the Blues early.
With the limited opportunities the Blues had with ball in hand they used tactical smarts to nudge the ball in behind and varied their attack on other occasions by using the width to bring the elusive Mark Telea into the game.
Discipline was the one weak point for the Blues as they conceded an 8-3 first-half penalty count. Beauden Barrett was twice pinged for coming in from the side of the breakdown and it was really only these collective infringements that allowed the Crusaders to close within one point at halftime.
Hoskins Sotutu and Kurt Eklund, who replaced hooker James Parsons in the first half, stood out for the Blues but individual efforts ultimately count for little in defeat.
This result was a reminder of how far they’ve come, and the growth they must continue to strive for to reach the bar that the Crusaders set.
Crusaders 26 (Mitchell Drummond, Will Jordan tries; Richie Mo’unga 2 cons, 4 pens)
Blues 15 (Mark Telea, Rieko Ioane tries; Otere Black con, pen)
HT: 6-7
Comments on RugbyPass
I wonder what impact Samson has had on their attack, as the team seems less prone to trundle it up the middle, take the tackle and then trundle it up again. I lost faith in the coach last year as the Rebelss looked like a 2nd/3rd rate South African team. I also disliked Gordon standing back, often ignored as the forward battle went on and on. Maybe its our Aussie way of not getting off our A***’s until the enemy is at the gate.
83 Go to commentsThanks for the write up. Great to see the Rebs winning, I am a little interested in how they will go against the remaining kiwi teams, I think they’ve only played Hurricanes and Highlanders but how great to see these players performing!! I also see Parling has a job beyond June 30! A good move by RA? Also how do you fix the Rebels previously scratchy defence?
83 Go to commentsbe smart - go black
13 Go to commentsNext week the Crusaders hopefully have Scott Barrett back. Will be great to have the captain back. Hopefully he will be the All Black captain as well.
12 Go to commentsExciting place to be for the young fella. I expected he was French Polynesian when I saw him included in the France 6N squad (after seeing him in NZs), and therefor be strong grounds we might loose him to rugby down here. Good, in that he is good enough to warrant such a profile, and from a journalism’s fan interaction aspect, to finally get a back ground story on the fella. Hope he has settled into NZ OK and that at least one rugby country will fit with him to help his development, which, if so, he should surely continue for a few years, and then that he can experience France to it’s fullest with a bit more maturity and less reliance on family than you would have at his current age. A good 3 or 4 years before he would be ready for International duty if he wanted to wait. Of course he already sounds good enough to accept a call up, and to cap himself, in the more immediate future (he’d have to be very very good in the case of the ABs), and he’ll get a great taste of that being with the Canes who have a bunch who are just a few years further into their career and looking likely Internationals themselves.
13 Go to commentsI remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.
4 Go to commentsOh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on their @r$e$ one week later?
26 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
4 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
4 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
13 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
5 Go to commentsI know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
5 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
5 Go to commentsNot sure exactly what went wrong for him at Glasgow but it’s pretty clear he ain’t Franco’s cup of tea. Suspect he would have been better served heading out of Scotland around the same time as Finn, Hoggy and Jonny!
1 Go to commentsBulls disrespected the Northampton supporters and the competition. Decide quickly, fully in or out.
26 Go to commentsI wonder if Parling was ever on England’s radar as a coach? Obviously Borthwick is a great lineout coach, but I do worry he might be taking on too much as both head coach and forwards coach.
1 Go to commentsJason Jenkins has one cap. When Etzebeth was his age he had over 80 caps. Experience matters. He will never amount to what Etzebeth has because he hasn’t been developed as an international player.
2 Go to commentsSays much about the player picking this gig over the easier and bigger rewards offered to him in Japan. Also says a lot about the state sanctioned tax benefits the Irish Revenue offers pro rugby players, with their ten highest earning years subject to an additional 40% tax relief and paid as a lump sum, in cash, at retirement. Certainly helps Leinster line up the financial ducks in a row to fund marquee signings like this!!! No other union anywhere in world rugby benefits from this kind of lucrative financial sponsorship from their government…
5 Go to comments