LONG READ Crusaders won't be contenders without a top-class fly-half

There’s a belief Super Rugby can’t be won without a top-class number 10.

It’s not a random thing, the evidence is writ large when the list of winners is laid out alongside who was playing fly-half for them: Carlos Spencer, Andrew Mehrtens, Stephen Larkham, Dan Carter, Morne Steyn, Quade Cooper, Aaron Cruden, Bernard Foley, Lima Sopoaga, Beauden Barrett and Richie Mo’unga. That’s the gamut of champion 10s, some of whom rank among the best players ever in the position and all having played international rugby.

The Crusaders are finding out this adage about play-makers is undeniably true. It goes a long way to explaining why they began their season with three straight defeats for the first time since 1996 and look to have little to no chance of defending their title for the eighth consecutive year.

Much has changed for the franchise in 2024. They farewelled a handful of legendary players after winning the title last year – including All Blacks Sam Whitelock, Jack Goodhue, Leicester Fainga’anuku and Mo’unga.

They also lost their long-serving and enigmatic coach, Scott Robertson, who won seven titles in his seven seasons in charge and has earned the top job with the national side.

So too have they been hit hard by injuries this year, losing All Blacks Braydon Ennor and Will Jordan for the season, while Codie Taylor is on extended leave as part of a long-service agreement.

The Crusaders have a culture which is ingrained and powerful. They see themselves more as a brotherhood.

The Crusaders are effectively having to cope with the loss of seven Test players and the greatest coach they have ever had.

That should go a long way towards explaining why they started the campaign by losing to the Chiefs, Waratahs and Drua.

But it must be remembered the Crusaders have been able to handle these mass changes before.

They have endured similar personnel clean-outs in the past and successfully transitioned from one coach to another, having won 12 titles in total dating back to their first in 1998.

The Crusaders have a culture which is ingrained and powerful. They see themselves more as a brotherhood, with former coach Wayne Smith, who arrived in 1997 after the side had finished the inaugural Super Rugby season dead last, explaining to the NZ Herald last year: “We targeted almost a spiritual kinship as our way forward.

“We put a huge emphasis on honesty, on living the behaviours we came up with and on keeping each other true to what we were about.

“Because the team was empowered and set their own challenges – with a bit of guidance from coaches – there was plenty of social capital amongst the players; sharing of backgrounds, dreams and aspirations.”

A system based on values and unity has been the secret sauce enabling the Crusaders to dominate Super Rugby and why most observers were still expecting them to challenge this year.

As captain Scott Barrett noted before the season began: “The group has high expectations and we’ve always talked about how you have to get better or you get beaten.

“It’s as simple as that. That’s doubling down on what the strengths of your game are, but also innovating and coming up with new ways, because you can’t stay still.”

But so far there has been no sense of the Crusaders being a better team in 2024 than they were in 2023.

Losing Richie Mo’unga, who is now playing in Japan, has proven a crippling blow.

They still have a fine tight five – George Bower, Tamaiti Williams, Joe Moody, Owen Franks, Barrett and Quinten Strange are a handy group.

There is potential in the loose forward trio, with number eight Cullen Grace still a good bet to establish himself as a Test regular.

David Havili and Levi Aumua could become a potent midfield partnership, while Sevu Reece remains one of the great finishers in the competition, and Macca Springer and Chay Fihaki are enormously promising.

The Crusaders’ single biggest issue is the lack of a 10 ready to play at this level. Losing Mo’unga, who is now playing in Japan, has proven a crippling blow. Without him the Crusaders don’t have the tactical control or magical spark he could be guaranteed to provide.

It hasn’t helped the more experienced Fergus Burke, who would have started the season in the key playmaking position, has been ruled out with serious injury, because neither of the alternatives, Rivez Reihana or Taha Kemara, have looked ready to breathe this rarefied air.

Reihana, who was barely seen for the Chiefs last year, didn’t look commanding when he played the opening game. He was tentative, error-ridden and prone to hiding in the pocket. Kemara, who replaced him for the next two games because of a head injury, looked even more skittish and underprepared for the speed and intensity of Super Rugby.

The lack of control at 10 seemed to leave inside centre Havili trying to do too much and the Crusaders midfield has been shambolic so far.

“We were not sharp or clinical enough. We were clear on our gameplan, but the greasy ball, we gave little opportunities and give the Drua a sniff and they will punish you,” Barrett lamented after the defeat in Fiji which left the Crusaders sitting 11th.

Both Reihana and Kemara may develop into trusted options, but neither looks capable of being the 10 the Crusaders need them to be in 2024. Neither appears to have the right temperament or the sense of authority. And those who say to give them time should be aware there is a history of the Crusaders producing young fly-halves who look the part from day one.

Carter and Mo’unga both made the All Blacks in their rookie Super Rugby seasons, and the Crusaders have been almost miraculous in their ability to keep developing world class 10s who instantly make their mark.

Christchurch’s famed fly-half conveyor belt has faltered at last.

Their production line of local talent has been incredible. They started Super Rugby with Mehrtens, a Christchurch-developed pivot who would rank in any list of All Blacks greats.

As he reached the end of his career, Carter slipped into the jersey as a 21-year-old and played his debut season like a Test veteran.

Interestingly, the Crusaders went without a title until 2017 after winning in 2008, and the form and availability of Carter correlates with their lack of success.

He was on sabbatical in France in 2009 and broke his leg just a few games after returning to New Zealand, then was injured for much of the 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 seasons.

He was in great form in 2011, a year in which the Crusaders made the final but came up short against the Reds, primarily because they had been forced to play all over the world that year after the devastating earthquake in Christchurch deprived them of a home ground.

In 2017, the Crusaders were back because Mo’unga was given the 10 jersey and made an enormous impact.

But here we are in 2024 and Christchurch’s famed fly-half conveyor belt has faltered at last. The Crusaders are unlikely to contend again until they find the world-class 10 which has always been at the core of their success.