No more Barrett-Mo'unga debate? Crusaders' supreme 10 puts a nail in the coffin with performance from a 'different planet'
Crusaders first five Richie Mo’unga orchestrated a dynamic performance over the Chiefs as the defending champions flexed their might on the way to a 39-17 win in Christchurch.
The 26-year-old pivot was near untouchable as he tore apart the Chiefs defence with sharp footwork and brilliant running, which saw him make three line breaks on the way to over 100 running metres. The threat of Mo’unga’s running game was ever-present as he beat 11 defenders on the night.
After falling behind early 10-0, the Crusaders edged back into the game throughout the first half to finally take the lead 11-10 in the 32nd minute from a Richie Mo’unga penalty. After a tense first stanza, the home side held their slim one-point lead heading into halftime.
Just two minutes into the second half, Mo’unga ignited his side with a show and go dummy to ghost through the Chiefs line around halfway. Two phases later the Crusaders were awarded a penalty try and the Chiefs were reduced to 14-men for 10 minutes.
The home side began to lift the intensity and tempo of the game to wear the Chiefs down, and it was Mo’unga linking with fullback Will Jordan for a set play around the ruck to blow the lead out to 25-10.
From there, the red and black machine continued to pile on the misery even as Fergus Burke came on to replace Mo’unga, whose job was done for the night. The replacement flyhalf showed some nice touches, including quick hands under pressure to set-up the Crusaders fifth try of the night.
Mo’unga was hailed as a ‘rugby genius’ as the superlatives rolled in from around the world. Another proclaimed him as the ‘next great All Blacks 10′ and that he is ‘miles ahead of the likes of Jonny Wilkinson’.
Richie Mo’unga is on a different planet to nearly anyone who has ever played the game. Especially those to wear a number 10 shirt!
— Ollie Silverton (@olliegs64) March 13, 2021
Honestly Richie Mo’unga is just a joy to watch. He is miles ahead of the likes of Johnny Wilkinson. #CRUvCHI #SuperRugbyAotearoa
— The Bulldozer (@MazwiZuma) March 13, 2021
Are you watching the Crusaders ? Richie Mo’unga’s skills are disgusting ????
— Mike Sharman (@mikesharman) March 13, 2021
Imagine thinking Richie Mo'unga is not the best fly half in the world ??
— StarGazer (@T_i_s_h_) March 13, 2021
The Saders taking full advantage of being a man up ???? Richie Mo'unga absolutely controlling this game! Would give him MOTM right now ??
— X (@IamX05) March 13, 2021
Richie Mo'unga is the next AB great flyhalf.
— silverback (@TavonGo) March 13, 2021
Anyone in France got a blank cheque for Richie Mo’unga? What a performance this morning in Canterbury. It was almost religious…
— Eamonn Hogan ??????????? (@theeamonnhogan) March 13, 2021
btw Richie Mo'unga is a rugby genius
— John Redcorn. (@Mandla_Nkwali) March 13, 2021
Richie Mo'unga is something else https://t.co/cZDVeuo3FI
— LEVI (@lawi_ruto) March 13, 2021
If Richie Mo’unga was English, Eddie Jones wouldn’t pick him. https://t.co/Qey8yVc7j7
— Jimmy SuWOO. (@OhioV1) March 13, 2021
Since Mo’unga’s arrival on the Super Rugby scene, the debate has raged in New Zealand over whether former Hurricanes first five Beauden Barrett or the Crusaders’ upstart should be wearing the All Blacks’ 10 jersey.
Although the Crusaders dominated the Hurricanes over that time period, Mo’unga wasn’t given the All Blacks’ first five job until the 2019 season. Ian Foster continued selecting Mo’unga at 10 in 2020 after his electric Super Rugby Aotearoa campaign, but now it seems with rival Barrett off playing in the Japan Top League the debate can finally be settled once and for all.
This Japanese fan wrote it will be ‘difficult’ for Barrett to get the All Blacks 10 shirt back:
“The sense of smell and sharpness of the break that pierces the gap of Mo’unga is amazing.
“I think it’s pretty difficult for B. Barrett to get All Black No. 10 as long as that is the case,” they wrote.
Mo'unga??????????????????????????????????B.Barrett???10?????????????????
— ??? Sachiko (@sacchir) March 13, 2021
Beauden Barrett has expressed a desire to win back the first five position on his return from Japan, but he won’t spend any time in Super Rugby this season with the Blues allowing Mo’unga to push ahead on form in a tougher competition.
Next season, Barrett will be 31 years old while Mo’unga will still be in his peak years. The timing of Barrett’s sabbatical is seemingly not so good for his All Blacks’ plans, unless the selectors are prepared to weigh the standard of the Japan Top League equally to that of Super Rugby Aotearoa.
Comments on RugbyPass
Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause
9 Go to commentsNo way. If you are trying to picture New Zealand rugby with an All Blacks mindset, there have been two factors instrumental to the decline of NZ rugby to date. Those are the horror that the Blues have become and, probably more so, the fixture that the Crusaders became. I don’t think it was healthy to have one team so dominant for so long, both for lack of proper representation of players from outside that environment and on the over reliance on players from within it. If you are another international side, like Ireland for example, sure. You can copy paste something succinct from one level to the next and experience a huge increase in standards, but ultimately you will not be maximizing it, which is what you need to perform to the level the ABs do. Added to that is the apathy that develops in the whole game as a result of one sides dominance. NZ, Super, and Championship rugby should all experience a boom as a result of things balancing out. That said, there is a lot of bad news happening in NZ rugby recently, and I’m not sure the game can be handled well enough here to postpone the always-there feeling of inevitable decline of rugby.
9 Go to commentsNo SA supporter miss Super Rugby - a product that is experiencing significant head wind in ANZ - the competition from rival codes are intense, match attendance figures are at a historical low and the negativity of commentators such as Kirwan and Wilson have accelerated the downward spiral in NZ. After the next RWC in 2027 sponsors will follow Qantas and start leaving in droves.
2 Go to commentsLike others, I am not seeing the connection between this edition of the Crusaders and the All Blacks future prospects under Razor. I think the analysis of the Crusaders attack recently is helpful because Razor and his coaching team used to be able to slot new guys in to their systems and see them succeed. Several of Razor’s coaches are still there so it would be surprising if the current attack and set piece has been overhauled to a great extent - but based on that analysis, it may have been. Whether it is too many new guys due to injuries or retirement or a failure of current Crusaders systems is the main question to be answered imo. It doesn’t seem relevant for the ABs.
9 Go to commentsharry potter is set in stone. he creates stability and finishes well. exactly what schmidt likes. he’s the ben smith of australian rugby. i think it could quite easily be potter toole and kellaway for the foreseeable future.
5 Go to commentsThis is short sighted from Clayton if you ask me, smacks of too much preseason planning and no adaptability. What if DMac is out for a must win match, are they still only going to bring their best first five and playmaker on late in the game? Trusting the game to someone who wasn’t even part of planning (they would have had Trask pinned in as Jacomb preseason). Perhaps if the Crusaders were better they would not have done this, but either way imo you take this opportunity to play a guy you might need starting in a final rather than having their 12th game getting comfortable coming off the bench.
1 Go to commentsThanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.
21 Go to commentsWhat a load of bollocks. The author has forgotten to mention the fact that the Crusaders have a huge injury toll with top world class players out. Not to mention the fact that they are obviously in a transition period. No this will not spark a slow death for NZ rugby, but it does mean there will be a new Super Rugby champion. Anyone who knows anything about NZ rugby knows that there is some serious talent here, it just isn’t all at the Crusaders.
9 Go to commentsI wouldn’t spend the time on Nawaqanitawase! No point in having him filling in a jersey when he’s committed to leave Union. Give the jersey to a young prospect who will be here in the future.
5 Go to commentsIt was a pleasure to watch those guys playing with such confidence. That trio can all be infuriating for different reasons and I can see why Jones might have decided against them. No way to justify leaving Ikitau out though. Jorgensen and him were both scheduled to return at the same time. Only one of them plays for Randwick and has a dad who is great mates with the national coach though.
53 Go to commentsBrayden Iose and Peter Lakai are very exciting Super Rugby players but are too short and too light to ever be a Test 8 vs South Africa, France, Ireland, and England, Lakai could potentially be a Test player at 7 if he is allowed to focus on 7 for Hurricanes.
7 Go to commentsPencils “Thomas du Toit” into possible 2027 Bok squad.
1 Go to commentsDon’t see why Harrison makes the bench. Jones can play at 10 if needed, and there is a good case for starting her there to begin with if testing combinations. That would leave room for Sing on the bench
1 Go to commentsWhat a load of old bull!
1 Go to commentsOf the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.
29 Go to commentsIrish Rugby CEO be texting Andy Farrell “Andy, i found our next Kiwi Irishman”
5 Go to commentsI certainly don’t miss drinking beers at 8am in the morning watching rugby games being played in NZ.
2 Go to commentsThis looks like a damage limitation exercise for Wales, keeping back some of their more effective players for the last 20/25 minutes to try and counter England’s fresh legs so the Red Roses don’t rack up a big score.
2 Go to commentsVery unlikely the Bulls will beat Leinster in Dublin. It would be different in Pretoria.
1 Go to commentsI think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to comments