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No excuses from injury-riddled Crusaders with history on their side

Leicester Fainga'anuku of the Crusaders is tackled by Roger Tuivasa-Sheck of the Blues during the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific Final match between the Blues and the Crusaders at Eden Park on June 18, 2022 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

Scott Robertson has backed his injury-hit Canterbury Crusaders to “rise to the occasion” against the Auckland Blues after losing Ethan Blackadder and lock Zach Gallagher for Friday’s Super Rugby Pacific semi-final.

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In his first match since March, All Blacks flanker Blackadder lasted only a few minutes in the quarter-final win over Fijian Drua before limping off with a quadriceps injury.

Robertson confirmed Blackadder would join a raft of All Blacks ruled out for the rest of the Crusaders’ bid for a seventh championship trophy in seven years.

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“We really feel for him, he trained so hard to get back,” Robertson told New Zealand media on Wednesday.

Gallagher injured a calf against the Drua, leaving the defending champions short in their second-row stocks, with All Blacks lock Sam Whitelock still sidelined.

Captain Scott Barrett and Quinten Strange will start in the second row, with Dominic Gardiner covering lock from the bench in the matchday squad named on Wednesday.

The Crusaders’ injury woes have boosted the Blues’ chances of ending the hosts’ run of 28 playoff wins in Christchurch.

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But outgoing coach Robertson backed his team to stand up.

“I think any Crusaders team that’s named will rise up to the occasion, it’s going to be a hell of a weekend, it’s got that feeling about it, hasn’t it?” he said.

“It’s a physical game, we’re going to get injuries … you don’t want to start getting in the excuse bin.”

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All Blacks flyhalf Richie Mo’unga, who suffered cramp against Drua and exited early, retains the No.10 jersey against a Blues team in far better health after a dominant quarter-final win over the NSW Waratahs.

All Black Caleb Clarke returns to the left wing after recovering from an ankle injury, joining a nearly full-strength Blues line-up.

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The winner of Friday’s clash will meet either the Waikato Chiefs or the ACT Brumbies in the final. The Chiefs host the Brumbies in Hamilton on Saturday.

The Blues ended an 18-year losing streak in Christchurch last year against the Crusaders but then lost the championship decider 21-7 at home to Robertson’s side.

The Crusaders have since resumed their dominance, winning home and away against the Blues this year.

“We know we’re going down into enemy territory and are prepared to face the music,” said Blues captain Dalton Papali’i.

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J
JW 11 hours ago
The Fergus Burke test and rugby's free market

I can guarantee that none of the three would have got a chance with Ireland in the state they arrived from NZ.

Why would you think they would?

Two of them were at Leinster and were bench-warmers when they arrived

Sometimes you can be beyond stupid JW.

Haha look who's talking! Hello? Can you just read what you wrote about Leinster to yourself again please lol

It took prob four seasons to get James Lowe's defence up to the required standard to play international footy. If Jacob Stockdale had not experienced a big slump in form he might not have gotten the chance at all.

I'm really not sure why you're making this point. Do you think Ireland are a better team than the All Blacks, where those players would have been straight in? This is like ground hog day the movie with you. Can you not remember much of the discussions, having so many readers/commentors? Yup, 26/7/8 would have been the perfect age for them to have been capped by NZ as well.


Actually, they would obviously have been capped given an opportunity earlier (where they were ineligible to for Ireland).


TTT, who was behind JGP at the Hurricanes, got three AB caps after a couple of further seasons acting as a backup SR player, once JGP left of course. In case you didn't see yourself contradicting your own comments above, JGP was just another player who became first choice for Ireland while 2nd (or even 3rd/outside the 23 in recent cases) for Leinster. And fair enough, no one is suggesting JGP would have surpassed TJP in three or four years either. He would have been an All Black though, and unlike in your Leinster example, similar performances from him would have seen TJP move on earlier to make way for him. Not limited him like he was in Ireland. That's just the advantage of the way they can only afford so many. Hell, one hit wonders like Seta Tamanivalu and Malakai Fekitoa got rocketed into the jersey at the time.


So not just him. Aki and Lowe both would have had opportunities, as you must know has been pointed out by now. It's true that the adversity of having to move to Ireland added a nice bit of mongrel to their game though, along with their typical development.


Aki looked comfortable as the main 12 in his first two seasons, he was fortunate SBW went back to league for a season you could say, but as a similar specialist he ultimate had to give the spot back again on his return. There's certainly no doubt he would have returned and flourished with coachs like Rennie, Wayne Smith, and Andrew Strawbridge, even Tom Coventry. All fair for him to take up an immediate contract instead of wait a year of course though.


It's just whatever the point of your comments are meant to make, your idea that these players wouldn't have achieved high honors in NZ is simply very shortsighted and simplistic. I can only think you are making incorrect conclusions about this topic because of this mistake. As a fan, Aki was looking to be the Nonu replacement for me, but instead the country had the likes of Laumape trying to fill those boots with him available. Ditto with Lowe once Rieko moved to center.

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