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'It was that feeling of the Crusaders of old as I had my face behind a pillow'

Tamaiti Williams of the Crusaders. Photo by Joe Allison/Getty Images

As poor as the Crusaders’ results have been in 2024, their opponents have remained acutely aware of the championship DNA lurking in the background that could rear its head at any given moment.

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The Blues of all teams know never to underestimate the perennial champions, but it didn’t matter when the Auckanders travelled to Christchurch for their round 14 grudge match.

In a break from what had become tradition, the top-of-the-table Blues faced a Crusaders outfit fighting for a slither of playoffs hope, desperate to keep their uncharacteristically woeful season alive.

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The reigning champions stepped up and took the game to the visitors, ultimately earning their third win of the season and resigning the Blues to the all-too-familiar position of leaving the Christchurch stadium disappointed.

“The Crusaders were outstanding, I thought the Blues played really well as well,” Blues centurion James Parsons said on the Aotearoa Rugby Pod.

“If you look at it statistically, apart from the penalty count, they (the Blues) were operating at 93 per cent on defence, high at set piece, strong at the breakdown.

“I do think certain players with experience that came back, if you look at (Codie) Taylor, (Ethan) Blackadder with 12 carries, 24 tackles, 39 rucks; Cullen Grace had similar numbers, I think Fergus Burke is an out and out 10 with experience at this level. It came together and some of their best players stood up.

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“The Blues are the most successful team at defending their line. But, the Crusaders played on their terms, a lot of teams have just tried to wear the Blues down but if you watch Codie Taylor with his quick tap before halftime, that is the making or breaking of that game.

“If they take their time and go to the lineout, potentially the Blues can get in their system and maybe they infringe and take the three (points) or at least stop them.

“The fact that they played that off the cuff and determined how the Blues had to react was a big part in winning that game.

“I was suppose that try in the end, because it was pretty even in the second half, was the difference.”

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Taylor’s performance in the contest has been praised, as has his influence on the team since returning from his sabbatical and assuming the captaincy in Scott Barrett’s absence.

All three of the Crusaders’ wins this season have come against teams well above them in the standings – the Chiefs, Rebels and Blues – and all three wins have come at home.

Points Flow Chart

Crusaders win +2
Time in lead
23
Mins in lead
49
29%
% Of Game In Lead
61%
84%
Possession Last 10 min
16%
0
Points Last 10 min
5

For the Blues, discipline let them down, with 14 penalties giving the Crusaders the upper hand.

“A lot of (those penalties) came through technical issues at scrum time,” Parsons added. “Obviously, there were a few changes especially in and around the breakdown, with Dalton Papali’i not being there. Adrian Choat is a player who will challenge the breakdown a lot more, so I suppose that (risk) comes with that.

“But, 14 (penalties) when they’ve averaged around five or six all year, it shows you the punishment you get.

“You’ve got to give credit to the Crusaders for taking the opportunities. Also, 12 kicks in the first half and 18 in the second; they controlled terms, they controlled where they played and it was that feeling of the Crusaders of old as I had my face behind a pillow watching yet again another loss.

“I don’t think it’ll do any harm to the Blues, it’ll set them up for the finals. But, you’d have to think the Hurricanes are in the box seat to finish top of the table. You’d have to think they’ve got a better chance at getting a bonus point (against the Highlanders) than the Blues do against the Chiefs.”

Watch the exclusive reveal-all episode of Walk the Talk with Ardie Savea as he chats to Jim Hamilton about the RWC 2023 experience, life in Japan, playing for the All Blacks and what the future holds. Watch now for free on RugbyPass TV

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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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