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‘Might just catch them out’: Crusaders set for ‘must-win’ Rebels clash
Former All Black Mils Muliaina has labelled the Crusaders’ clash with the Melbourne Rebels as a “must-win” as the defending champions look to remain in the race for a spot in the playoffs.
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Following a tough two-game road trip across the ditch, which saw them lose to the Waratahs and Western Force, the Crusaders have returned home for their most important match of the season.
The Crusaders, who currently sit last on the Super Rugby Pacific table with just one win from eight matches to date, will take on the high-flying Rebels at Apollo Projects Stadium this week.
With the Crusaders currently six points out of the top eight, another defeat could spark disaster for a New Zealand side that’s traditionally used to controlling the narrative at the other end of the table.
“You’ve got to remember the last outing they had at home they beat a top outfit (in the Chiefs),” the Rugby World Cup-winning All Black said on Stan Sports’ The Call Up.
“This is a different side… often when you get teams under pressure as they are at the bottom of the table, they tend to chase and work a lot harder. You often hear the phrase, ‘You’re working too hard than what you should be.’
“That might just catch them out, the fact that they’re overthinking things on defence.
‘The biggest issue at the moment is they are scoring tries, you see Sevu Reece playing very well, but they’re really leaking points.
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“Will home advantage play a big factor? You’d love to think so as a Crusaders fan but given the points they’ve leaked in these last few weeks, there’s worrying signs there at the moment for the Crusaders camp.”
Head-to-Head
Last 5 Meetings
Wins
5
Draws
0
Wins
0
Average Points scored
48
14
First try wins
100%
Home team wins
60%
While the Crusaders have struggled on matchday, there’s no denying the reigning champions have also had to do it the hard way with big-name players going down with injuries.
All Black Tamati Williams was injured in the opening match of the season, and British & Irish Lions great Leigh Halfpenny was sidelined after picking up a blow during a pre-season clash with Munster.
The Crusaders have looked to navigate through these injury challenges without much success, with their only win of the season to date coming against the Chiefs at home on March 29.
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But in a boost, coach Rob Penney has welcomed Scott Barrett back to the run-on side, and David Havili will come off the bench. The Crusaders have made seven changes to their starting side in total.
These changes, as Crusaders fans will hope, could make a positive difference for the struggling rugby team on Friday night. But win or lose, Muliaina believes the Crusaders should stick with their coach.
“Oh, huge pressure. I think that’s been the talking point a lot,” Muliaina added when asked about Rob Penney. “I’m probably a believer in the fact that you’ve got to stick with him.
“They’re now far off the top eight (but) they’ve got to win the next two. This game here for them, it’s a must-win if they want to make that eight.
“The Rebels are in the top four and it’s a chance for the Crusaders to just stay intact.
“Scott Barrett will bring that influence and hopefully they will have a big crowd that they’ve been used to when they have been winning.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Amazing. The losing team’s ratings are higher than the winning team’s. Mallia definitely didn’t deserve a y. What game were you watching? Should have got a w or an x. ADP hardly featured in that second half. At one point I wondered when he’d been subbed. Seems to me as if he gets an automatic 9 just for getting onto the team sheet.
1 Go to commentsI’m sorry. That second half was far from enthralling. It was painful to watch.
1 Go to commentsVery generous! If you’d missed the game, reading this you’d conclude that it was the Quins front row that cost them the game. Marler getting a blanket 6 for his demented contribution to the game. Puzzling.
1 Go to commentsCan’t see Toulouse beating Leinster at this rate.
7 Go to commentsADP was having a very average game until winning that penalty for Toulouse, sticking his big head in the way. “The head of God”?
7 Go to commentsHarlequins doing their best to do as little damage as possible with all the possession. Looks like they skipped catch and pass drills this week.
7 Go to commentsSeeing pictures of Jacques high-fiving it with Irish players breaks my heart. Too soon. I need more time.
1 Go to commentsquins is all over the place. The minute they get the ball they panic. Quins can still win tho just need to win all rucks otherwise just don't bother.
7 Go to commentsGreat wins for the male & female kiwi sides. Ireland not far away..
1 Go to commentsWhy is this dude getting so much coverage? Usually knobs like this get cancelled.
2 Go to commentsWow. What was that? A 3 million word meandering article about what exactly?
2 Go to commentsNice piece of writing. And yes the Sharks pulled a rabbit from the hat and were a little lucky with that penalty try that wasn’t given… however the Sharks (with their resources) should be way more consistent and should be putting teams like Claremont away for breakfast. I expect more from them and hope they kick on now.
8 Go to commentsJust what the Sharks needed to get things going in the right direction Defence on the outside really creates havoc for the whole team and needs to be addressed.
8 Go to commentsWell done guys both teams will be ready to play knockout rugby.
1 Go to commentsSurprised that Ramos isn't starting at 15. But what a squad of galacticos!
2 Go to commentsWhy is it a snub? What journalistic garbage is that? Sure the guy is a great player, but there are plenty of loose forwards and not all of them can be Springboks. Also, I know of no-one who doubts Rassie’s judgment. South Africa has a conveyor belt of loose forwards that just keeps producing, so the competition is intense. I certainly wish him well, but there is no entitlement and there is no snub.
17 Go to commentsSkelton may be brought back for the Wallabies so that would be the only reason that may hinder Wilson. Easily the form, most skilful and game IQ of any Oz 8. Valentini’s best and favourite position is 6, but lineouts may be an issue with Skelton, Valentini and Wilson. Will be interesting what Schmidt goes for but for me Wilson should be picked on form. Schmidt rewards work rate, skill and consistency. All that glitters every so often won’t be in contention. Greely is one of those players that has a knack of making the right decision. A coach is going to love him because he knows week in week out he’s going to get the job done. The second try Greely wasn’t the guy who made the initial break it was Flook, Greely was at the bottom of the ruck when Flook was off along the sideline. Greely got up and made the effort to catch up with play but also read the play nicely and hit the pass from Campbell at pace and then held the pass beautifully to Ryan.
6 Go to commentsSpot on Ben. Dead right. Havili looked great at 10. Easily the highest rugby IQ of any NZ player these days. Getting a kick charged down is a result of getting used to adjusting your depth to the line at 10, which he will sort out with time. But other than that it was an outstanding first effort in that position this year. I think the NZ media has misunderstood this directive from Razor. Havili might rank behind B Barrett this year, but Beuden is 33 this month and won't last much longer. DMaC is great but flaky and not really a test match animal (his efforts in Dunedin versus Aus last year for example). If Razor can't have Mounga, DMaC is too unstructured for Razor (and is just too small for test rugby). Havili will end up our first choice first five, and in partnership with Jodie will be excellent. Two triple threat operators in tandem, and big bodies and tough tacklers to boot. Jordoe will be the ABs goal kicker. I am an Aucklander and Blues (and Warriors) fan, but Havili at 10 is going to be sensational in time… he can be the best first five in the world by the end of this year. No question.
6 Go to commentsSharks deserved to be far further back by the last quarter. Their tackling was awful, their set pieces were disappointing, their defensive organization was poor (especially on the Kok side of the D line), they kept making unnecessary errors, and they never looked like cracking the Clermont defense during those first 60m. Masuku kept them in touch, with some help from the Clermont generosity on penalty opportunities. Agree with the writer of this article. It was belligerence, and ability to raise their pressure game just enough, that turned the last quarter into a Bok-style shutout. Clermont have a reputation of not playing the full 80m, and there was a bit of that for sure. But, quite often when the intensity of a team drops off in the last quarter credit is due to the opponent for tiring them out. At 60m, with the Kok try, you thought that just maybe the game was on. At 70m, with the Mapimpi contribution, one felt that Clermont were fading, while facing a team that would maintain the pressure game through the final whistle. Good win in the end, but the Sharks are still playing way below their potential. And with their resources, and a coach that has had enough time to figure things out, they are running out of excuses.
8 Go to commentsGood riddance
1 Go to comments