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Crusaders new dynasty just beginning - Super Rugby 2018 Preview

When you walk into the Crusaders players’ gym at Rugby Park, championship banners along the back wall stare down at you. They have enough to cover half the length of the gym – a constant reminder to current players of the past success that the team is built on.

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The 2017 banner will be the first past halfway on that wall – proud work of the current squad and symbolic of the beginning of a new Crusaders era. It’s been a long time between drinks for Super Rugby’s most successful franchise – at least in terms of what they were used to – the Crusaders 8th championship season in 2017 has been 9 years in the making.

In between, the perennial finalists lost two grand finals to Australian sides, watched the Chiefs win twice after losing back-to-back semi-finals to them and suffered their worst season result since 2001 losing seven times missing the playoffs in 2015.

2017 was the return of Crusaders rugby but this could be the dawn of a new dynasty with 2018 shaping up as another championship season.

The roster is primed with experience, with arguably the best tight five in the competition. The depth in the front row is outstanding – Owen Franks, Codie Taylor, Joe Moody, Tim Perry, Mike Alaalatoa to name a few. When All Black prop Wyatt Crockett is coming off the bench, you know your front row stocks are strong.

With Sam Whitelock, Luke Romano and Scott Barrett they have a formidable second row, and experienced loosies Kieran Read, Jordan Taufua and Matt Todd round out a world-class pack.

Before last year’s championship season, there were concerns over their age – these were proven to be overblown. The experience and toughness of this pack are invaluable assets that led the team to 14 straight victories last season.

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The Crusaders have youth in all the right places, uncovering gems in centre Jack Goodhue and wings George Bridge and Manasa Mataele last year while fullback David Havili earned an All Blacks call-up.

With the addition of New Zealand u20 star fullback Will Jordan and wing Braydon Ennor, expect more young stars to emerge this season.

The value the Crusaders put on experience is obvious, bringing in 35-year-old first five Mike Delaney after an age-defying season with Bay of Plenty and the calm presence of 30-year-old centre Tim Bateman.

More Super Rugby Previews

Desperate to crack the playoffs’ Blues

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Hurricanes title window still open

Highlanders to bring same staunch attitude

The franchise seems to find advantages by exploring every possible option. They experimented with ex-Wallaby Digby Ioane last season, as well as bringing in Chiefs centre Seta Tamanivalu, turning him into a solid contributor on the wing. Don’t bet against this year’s signings paying off.

The Crusaders best-kept secret is no more, with the emergence of first-five eighth Richie Mo’unga as a genuine threat to Beauden Barrett’s place as New Zealand’s best 10.

History shows since 2010 every Super Rugby winning team had a 10 aged between 23-26. Even All Black legend Dan Carter – who played for the Crusaders until 33 – won his last title at age 26.

The 23-year-old Mo’unga became the latest name on that list and is only just entering the sweet spot for Super Rugby first-fives. This is a big reason to back the Crusaders this year, Mo’unga is going to get better heading into his third season.

The team weren’t widely expected to win the title in 2017. That title was a bonus in Scott Robertson’s first year at the helm and the team will be hungry for more success.

The Crusader’s toughest competition in the New Zealand conference will be the Hurricanes – the only Super team to beat them last year – and they will know it. The Canes might be the only side between the Crusaders and back-to-back titles.

2018 Predictions

New Zealand Conference Placing: 1st

Player of the Year: Richie Mo’unga

Rookie of the Year: Will Jordan

Best Signing: Mike Delaney

Breakout Player: Pete Samu

Super Rugby Placing: Champions

Franchise History

Best finish: Champions in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2017

Worst finish: Twelfth in 1996

Squad Movements

In: Ethan Blackadder (Tasman), Mike Delany (Bay of Plenty), Braydon Ennor (Canterbury), Billy Harmon (Canterbury), Will Jordan (Tasman), Tom Sanders (Chiefs), Jack Stratton (Canterbury).

Out: Heiden Bedwell-Curtis (Manawatu), Jed Brown (Canterbury), Whetu Douglas (Treviso), Sione Fifita (Counties Manukau), Vernon Fredericks (Tasman), Leon Fukofuka (Auckland), Digby Ioane (Wild Knights), Marty McKenzie (Chiefs), Sean Wainui (Taranaki).

Squad: Ben Funnell, Andrew Makalio, Codie Taylor, Mike Alaalatoa, Wyatt Crockett, Owen Franks, Oliver Jager, Joe Moody, Tim Perry, Scott Barrett, Mitchell Dunshea, Luke Romano, Quinten Strange, Sam Whitelock, Ethan Blackadder, Billy Harmon, Kieran Read, Tom Sanders, Pete Samu, Jordan Taufua, Matt Todd, Mitchell Drummond, Bryn Hall, Jack Stratton, Mike Delany, Mitchell Hunt, Richie Mo’unga, Tim Bateman, Ryan Crotty, Jack Goodhue, Braydon Ennor, George Bridge, Israel Dagg, David Havili, Will Jordan, Jone Macilai, Manasa Mataele, Seta Tamanivalu.

 

 

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J
JW 3 hours ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Ok, managed to read the full article..

... New Zealand’s has only 14 and the professional season is all over within four months. In France, club governance is the responsibility of an independent organisation [the Ligue Nationale de Rugby or LNR] which is entirely separate from the host union [the Fédération Française de Rugby or FFR]. Down south New Zealand Rugby runs the provincial and the national game.

That is the National Provincial Championship, a competition of 14 representative union based teams run through the SH international window and only semi professional (paid only during it's running). It is run by NZR and goes for two and a half months.


Super Rugby is a competition involving 12 fully professional teams, of which 5 are of New Zealand eligibility, and another joint administered team of Pacific Island eligibility, with NZR involvement. It was a 18 week competition this year, so involved (randomly chosen I believe) extra return fixtures (2 or 3 home and away derbys), and is run by Super Rugby Pacific's own independent Board (or organisation). The teams may or may not be independently run and owned (note, this does not necessarily mean what you think of as 'privately owned').


LNR was setup by FFR and the French Government to administer the professional game in France. In New Zealand, the Players Association and Super Rugby franchises agreed last month to not setup their own governance structure for professional rugby and re-aligned themselves with New Zealand Rugby. They had been proposing to do something like the English model, I'm not sure how closely that would have been aligned to the French system but it did not sound like it would have French union executive representation on it like the LNR does.

In the shaky isles the professional pyramid tapers to a point with the almighty All Blacks. In France the feeling for country is no more important than the sense of fierce local identity spawned at myriad clubs concentrated in the southwest. Progress is achieved by a nonchalant shrug and the wide sweep of nuanced negotiation, rather than driven from the top by a single intense focus.

Yes, it is pretty much a 'representative' selection system at every level, but these union's are having to fight for their existence against the regime that is NZR, and are currently going through their own battle, just as France has recently as I understand it. A single focus, ala the French game, might not be the best outcome for rugby as a whole.


For pure theatre, it is a wonderful article so far. I prefer 'Ntamack New Zealand 2022' though.

The young Crusader still struggles to solve the puzzle posed by the shorter, more compact tight-heads at this level but he had no problem at all with Colombe.

It was interesting to listen to Manny during an interview on Maul or Nothing, he citied that after a bit of banter with the All Black's he no longer wanted one of their jersey's after the game. One of those talks was an eye to eye chat with Tamaiti Williams, there appear to be nothing between the lock and prop, just a lot of give and take. I thought TW angled in and caused Taylor to pop a few times, and that NZ were lucky to be rewarded.

f you have a forward of 6ft 8ins and 145kg, and he is not at all disturbed by a dysfunctional set-piece, you are in business.

He talked about the clarity of the leadership that helped alleviate any need for anxiety at the predicaments unfolding before him. The same cannot be said for New Zealand when they had 5 minutes left to retrieve a match winning penalty, I don't believe. Did the team in black have much of a plan at any point in the game? I don't really call an autonomous 10 vehicle they had as innovative. I think Razor needs to go back to the dealer and get a new game driver on that one.

Vaa’i is no match for his power on the ground. Even in reverse, Meafou is like a tractor motoring backwards in low gear, trampling all in its path.

Vaa'i actually stops him in his tracks. He gets what could have been a dubious 'tackle' on him?

A high-level offence will often try to identify and exploit big forwards who can be slower to reload, and therefore vulnerable to two quick plays run at them consecutively.

Yes he was just standing on his haunches wasn't he? He mentioned that in the interview, saying that not only did you just get up and back into the line to find the opposition was already set and running at you they also hit harder than anything he'd experienced in the Top 14. He was referring to New Zealands ultra-physical, burst-based Super style of course, which he was more than a bit surprised about. I don't blame him for being caught out.


He still sent the obstruction back to the repair yard though!

What wouldn’t the New Zealand rugby public give to see the likes of Mauvaka and Meafou up front..

Common now Nick, don't go there! Meafou showed his Toulouse shirt and promptly got his citizenship, New Zealand can't have him, surely?!?


As I have said before with these subjects, really enjoy your enthusiasm for their contribution on the field and I'd love to see more of their shapes running out for Vern Cotter and the like styled teams.

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