'Much more assertive': Scott Robertson's praise of Crusaders youngster
Fresh after his sideโs resounding 61-3 Super Rugby Pacific win over the Fijian Drua on Friday, Crusaders head coach Scott Robertson has heaped praise on one of his young stars.
Named to start at first-five ahead of incumbent playmaker Richie Moโunga, 22-year-old pivot Fergus Burke shone for the serial title-winners, playing a vital role in his sideโs dismantling of the competition newbies in Christchurch.
Burkeโs contributions included a try, two try assists and 21 points โ 16 of which were scored via his boot as he nailed eight of his nine conversion attempts, most of which were long range efforts from the sideline.
That drew superlatives from Robertson, who hailed Burke in what was his fourth start for the Crusaders this season, and his first since his sideโs shock loss to the Waratahs in Sydney three weeks ago.
โMuch more assertive, I felt,โ Robertson said of Burkeโs performance in the immediate aftermath of the result, which lifts the Crusaders to second on the table.
โGot some good ball, but itโs the sign of any good first-five and 10 when your goal-kickers actually strike it well and are being consistent. Not many tries were scored outside the five-metre [zone], they were right by the sideline.
โHeโs taken his form off the field onto it, and heโs done a really good job around being consistent. He doesnโt get many opportunities, so when he does, you have to take them.
โWhen youโve got a championship, franchise-winning quarterback like Richie, theyโre few and far between, but he [Burke] took it.โ
With next weekโs clash against the Reds the final match of the regular season before the quarter-finals get underway, Moโunga is likely to return to the starting lineup as the Crusaders aim to cement a top two finish.
Doing so would give the Crusaders as many as two โ possibly three โ home play-off matches, meaning Moโunga world-class playmaking traits and championship-winning experience will be key to their post-season success.
However, Burkeโs performance hasnโt gone unnoticed by Robertson, who was equally as impressed by the rest of his teamโs effort as they crossed for nine tries and conceded none.
โWeโre just really pleased. Three [points conceded] is great, and so is the 61 [points scored], but some great, great signs in that game,โ Robertson said.
โA lot of the game, we made a lot of tackles, gave a couple of offside defensive penalties away, and then we corrected those things and were really patient, got some really good hunts and then attacked off that.
โI think we hunted really well and were smart and were clearโฆ and the Drua were brave. I want to note them, how brave they were and they stayed in it for long periods of time.
โItโs tough. I mentioned earlier in the week, itโs a three-to-five-year gig before we start seeing some really good, consistent performances from them.
โAll their systems and structures on and off the field have to be right for them to be consistent. We put context into the result, but, also, youโve still got to execute, so, yeah, weโre pleased.โ