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Razor's edge: Why upbeat Blues are preparing for backlash against the Crusaders
By Patrick McKendry, NZ Herald
As a former Crusader and assistant coach at Super Rugby’s most successful franchise, Leon MacDonald knows better than most about the response that could greet his Blues at Eden Park on Friday.
After two rounds the Blues are above the three-time defending champions following a brilliantly composed performance in Newcastle which earned them a 32-12 victory over the Waratahs and an off-key Crusaders fell 25-15 to the Chiefs in Hamilton.
But MacDonald knows his side will have to lift again to face a different type of challenge, one which will almost certainly include the artistry of Richie Mo’unga after Scott Robertson elected to take a cautious approach to the recovery of the All Blacks and Crusaders No.10’s knee and groin strains.
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The Crusaders will be working hard to fix the uncharacteristic errors which haunted them at Waikato Stadium, a series of mistakes eagerly seized upon by a Chiefs side under Warren Gatland which is playing with an enthusiasm reminiscent of their runs to their 2012 and 2013 titles under Dave Rennie.
Defeats are rare for Robertson, who has encountered only six during his three-and-a-bit seasons with the Crusaders, and they tend to provoke a response.
“That probably adds a bit of flavour,” MacDonald said of the upcoming derby. “I know Razor will do a good job at finding some solutions and probably getting them on edge. They’ve always rebounded well after a loss, especially in Razor’s tenure. We always expect them to turn up with their best and that’s the way we’ve got to prepare.”
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That the Chiefs needed to pull off an extraordinary comeback to beat the Blues at Eden Park in round one may also add a little confidence to MacDonald’s men.
In Newcastle they once again showed their scrum has the potential to hurt teams and with impressive North Harbour wing Mark Telea scoring a hat-trick and No.8 Hoskins Sotutu clearly blessed with a full range of skills – it was his perfect grubber through the defence which allowed Telea to score his first try – the Blues are not short of attacking weapons even allowing for Rieko Ioane’s broken hand.
It was also a far better evening for Blues No.10 Stephen Perofeta and English centre Joe Marchant, who ran an excellent angle on to a well-timed TJ Faiane pass for his first Super Rugby try.
“By and large it was a big step forward, especially with our energy around the field on attack and defence,” MacDonald said. “Our kick-chase was high energy, we contested really well at the wide breakdowns and put a lot of pressure on there. Every time they tried to exit, we were off the line and in their face.
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“We showed a lot of tenacity and a little bit of relentlessness which was something we had talked about. That was the most pleasing thing. We stayed with that intensity right to the end. If we have that every week we’re going to be a challenge for anyone.”
Telea’s final try came after the 80 minutes were up and earned his side the bonus point; a case of high ambition being fulfilled via a high standard of execution and the latter isn’t something the Blues have become well known for.
“Mark is a great story – he’s come a long way in a short time,” said MacDonald. “We saw him in Mitre 10 Cup firstly and through pre-season training and he’s in amazing physical condition. He’s a quiet guy by nature but has really come out of his shell the last few weeks.
“It was sitting there ready to come out and it’s always pleasing when guys can show everybody else just how talented they are.”
This article first appeared on nzherald.co.nz and was republished with permission.
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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