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Crusaders name star-studded side to play Hurricanes

(Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

Looking to maintain some momentum heading into the playoffs, the Crusaders have named a star-studded side to play the Hurricanes in their final match of the regular season.

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The Crusaders started their season with some uncharacteristically poor performances, including a loss to the Fijian Drua. But the title holders have turned their season around in a big way.

Currently second on the Super Rugby Pacific ladder, the Crusaders could even secure a spot in the top two with a losing bonus point on Saturday – not that they’ll be thinking that, though.

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Coach Scott Robertson has named an impressive line-up full of world-class talent, including veteran All Blacks Codie Taylor and Sam Whitelock in the forwards.

Whitelock will officially end his decorated rugby career in New Zealand year’s World Cup in France, with the veteran second-rower signing a deal with Top 14 club Pau.

Reflecting on his career at Super Rugby level in the famous red and black strip, Whitelock described his time as a Crusaders as a “very humbling” experience.

“When I first arrived here in rugby park in ’07, talking to some of the senior guys they said, ‘Look it’s going to go so quick, you’ll blind and you’ll be halfway through your career,’ and it’s exactly true,” Whitelock said.

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“It means the world. It’s something I never thought I’d ever achieve.

“I never thought I’d play one first-class game. Never thought I’d play for Canterbury or any of those things so to still be here now after all these years is very humbling.”

Tamaiti Williams starts at loosehead prop this week, and will pack down in the front row alongside Codie Taylor and veteran John Afoa.

Quinten Strange will combine with Whitelock in the second row, while captain Scott Barrett gets a start at blindside flanker.

Tom Christie gets the nod at openside, while Christian Lio-Willie will line up in the No. 8 jersey.

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All Blacks Mitchell Drummond and Richie Mo’unga will link up in the halves again this week, and look to provide quality ball to an exciting backline.

Jack Goodhue and Braydon Ennor will start in the midfield, while All Blacks Leicester Fainga’anuku and Will Jordan have been named in the outside backs.

Dallas McLeod is the final player in the run-on side, with the rising star set to start on the right wing.

But the Crusaders have named a potential debutant on the bench, with former Christchurch Boys High and Tasman Mako halfback Louie Chapman being named on the bench.

“He’s trained for a couple of years, he’s been awesome, an awesome pro,” coach Scott Robertson said in a statement.

“It’s a good story. He could have gone to MLR (Major League Rugby), he could have gone to another competition, but he wanted to be a Super Rugby player, he wanted to be a Crusader.

“He’s a local boy, this is his opportunity and he’s ready.”

The highly anticipated New Zealand blockbuster between the Crusaders and Hurricanes is set to get underway at 7.05pm at Wellington’s Sky Stadium on Saturday.

Crusaders team to take on Hurricanes

  1. Tamaiti Williams
  2. Codie Taylor
  3. John Afoa
  4. Quinten Strange
  5. Sam Whitelock
  6. Scott Barrett (c)
  7. Tom Christie
  8. Christian Lio-Willie
  9. Mitchell Drummond
  10. Richie Mo’unga
  11. Leicester Fainga’anuku
  12. Jack Goodhue (vc)
  13. Braydon Ennor
  14. Dallas McLeod
  15. Will Jordan

Replacements:

  1. Brodie McAlister
  2. Kershawl Sykes-Martin
  3. Reuben O’Neill
  4. Zach Gallagher
  5. Sione Havili Talitui
  6. Louie Chapman
  7. Fergus Burke
  8. Chay Fihaki
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H
Hellhound 49 minutes ago
South Africa player ratings | 2024 Autumn Nations Series

There is this thing going around against Siya Kolisi where they don't want him to be known as the best national captain ever, so they strike him down in ratings permanently whenever they can. They want McCaw and reckons he is the best captain ever. I disagree.


Just like they refuse to see SA as the best team and some have even said that should the Boks win a third WC in a row, they will still not be the best team ever. Even if they win every game between now and the WC. That is some serious hate coming SA's way.


Everyone forget how the McCaw AB's intimidated refs, was always on the wrong side, played on the ground etc. Things they would never have gotten away with today. They may have a better win ratio, but SA build depth, not caring about rank inbetween WC's until this year.


They weren't as bad inbetween as people claim, because non e of their losses was big ones and they almost never faced the strongest Bok team outside of the WC, allowing countries like France and Ireland to rise to the top unopposed.


Rassie is still at it, building more depth, getting more young stars into the fold. By the time he leaves (I hope never) he will leave a very strong Bok side for the next 15- 20 years. Not everyone will play for 20 years, but each year Rassie acknowledge the young stars and get them involved and ready for international rugby.


Not everyone will make it to the WC, but those 51/52 players will compete for those spots for the WC. They will deliver their best. The future of the Boks is in very safe hands. The only thing that bothers me is Rassie's health. If he can overcome it, rugby looks dark for the rest of the rugby world. He is already the greatest coach in WR history. By the time he retires, he will be the biggest legend any sport has ever seen

4 Go to comments
J
JW 1 hour ago
'They smelt it': Scott Robertson says Italy sensed All Blacks' vulnerability

No where to be seen OB!


The crosses for me for the year where (from memory);


This was a really hard one to nail down as the first sign of a problem, now that I've asked myself to think about it. I'd say it all started with his decision to not back form and fit players after all the injuries, and/or him picking players for the future, rather ones that could play right now.


First he doesn't replace Perofeta straight away (goes on for months in the team) after injury against England, second he falls back to Beauden Barrett to cover at fullback against Fiji, then he drops Narawa the obvious choice to have started, then he brings in Jordan too soon. That Barret selection (and to a lesser extent Bell's) set the tone for the year.


Then he didn't get the side up for Argentina. They were blown away and didn't look like they expected a fight and were well beaten despite the scoreline in my opinion. Worst performance of the year in the forth game and..


Basically the same problems were persistent, or even exaggerated, after that with the players he did select not given much of an opportunity, with this year having the most number of unused subs I can remember since the amateur days.


What I think I started to realise early on was that he didn't back himself and his team. I think he prepared the players well, don't get me wrong, but I'll credit him with making a conscious choice in tempering his ambition and instead choosing cohesion and to respect (the idea of it being important in himself and his players) experience first and foremost (after two tight games and that 4th game loss). I think he chose wrong in deciding not to be, and back, himself. Hard criticism.


And it played out by preferring Beauden to Dmac on the EOYT (though that may have been a planned move).


I hope I'm right, because going through all the little things of the season and coming up with these bullets, I've got to wonder when I say his last fault is one we have seen at the Crusaders, playing his best players into the ground. What I'm really scared of now is that not wanting a bit of freshness in this last game could be linked with all these other crosses that I want to put down to simple confidence issues. But are they really a sign that he just lacks vision?


Now, that's not to say I haven't seen a lot of positives as well, I just think that for the ABs to go where they want to go he has to fix these crosses. Just have difficult that will be is the question.

27 Go to comments
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