Scott Barrett’s honest assessment of Crusaders’ third loss to start season

Crusaders captain Scott Barrett has blamed the defending champions’ third-straight loss to start the season on poor execution after they went down to the Fijian Drua 20-10 on Saturday.

Wing Sevu Reece scored the opening try of the afternoon in the 18^th minute to cap off a relatively strong opening quarter from the reigning Super Rugby Pacific champions.

But it was all one-way traffic from there as the Fijian Drua took control. The hosts scored 17 unanswered points as they held a one-score lead going into the final 30 minutes of play.

The Crusaders had a number of opportunities inside the Drua’s half, but time and time again, the men wearing black and red came up short as they failed to claw their way back.

Fly-half Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula, 20, iced the game with a late penalty goal in the 78^th minute. The game was theirs as the Crusaders were left to rue what could’ve been.

“We just didn’t execute,” captain Scott Barrett said on the broadcast after the 10-point defeat.

“We had multiple opportunities down there, particularly around our lineout and we just weren’t sharp and clinical like we’d hoped.”

The Crusaders are the first team to reach a 0-3 record this season, with the Western Force the only other side searching for their first win at the time of writing.

Without the likes of Richie Mo’unga and lock Sam Whitelock, the defending champions have struggled during their defeats to the Chiefs, Waratahs and now Drua during the opening three rounds.

Mitchell Drummond, Noah Hotham and Willi Heinz have all started at halfback across the three matches, and there has been some rotation at fly-half as well.

With new coach Rob Penney at the helm, the Crusaders seem to still be searching for their new identity and flow in the post-Scott Robertson era.

“We were clear on our game plan. It was pretty simple and we just didn’t execute,” Barrett added.

“Greasy ball, little opportunities and you give the Fijian Drua a sniff and they’ll really punish you.”