Crusaders return to winning ways
EVEN with coach Scott Robertson back in Christchurch, due to a family bereavement, the Crusaders had too much class and authority when they thumped the Highlanders 5215 in Melbourne on Friday night.
If losing Robertson unsettled the Crusaders, they did well to disguise their angst in the first Super Round match of the weekend at AAMI Stadium, and in doing so helped bury the memory of the previous weekend’s ugly 31-10 defeat to the Chiefs.
Despite a slow start, with referee Nic Berry testing their patience with a series of scrum penalties, the Crusaders eventually flexed their muscles to reward themselves with seven tries, and earn a bonus-point victory.
First five-eighth Richie Mo’unga rebounded from his underwhelming performance the previous week to unleash all his tricks, as he scored a try, kicked seven conversions and a penalty.
The Highlanders, with Aaron Smith, Shannon Frizell and Ethan de Groot unavailable as part of the All Blacks’ rest protocols, are in a big hole.
They must find a way to rectify their defensive issues; after leaking 60 points to the Blues in Dunedin in the opening weekend, they would have been bitterly disappointed with this result against their South Island neighbours.
A yellow card to lock Paripari Parkinson mid-way through the second half for a tip-tackle didn’t help the Highlanders’ cause, they immediately conceded a try to Crusaders hooker Codie Taylor, but at that point they were already in damage control.
Crusaders assistant coach Scott Hansen took over in the absence of Robertson and afterwards he must have been tempted to buy second-five David Havili a beer; the midfielder was in excellent form, setting-up a try for Mo’unga with a clever kick and scoring a try of his own.
Not having Robertson to offer insights and guidance at halftime wasn’t the only drama for the Crusaders. All Blacks centre Jack Goodhue, who hasn’t played a test since late 2020 because of knee injuries, suffered a setback when he limped from the park with a sore groin inside the 15th minute and was replaced by Braydon Ennor.
Then there was the issue of the penalties — lots of them; the Crusaders conceded six, three in the scrums, as the Highlanders humbled their set-piece inside the first quarter. It was the Highlanders who landed the first blow of the night, with Sam Gilbert banging over a penalty to ice a bright start in the opening rounds; the Crusaders, by contrast, appeared jittery as they pushed passes and were guilty of being too optimistic with the ball.
Then they flicked the switch. Wing Sevu Reece raced over for the first try, thanks to inside ball from captain Scott Barrett, and later in the half Mo’unga put his tap dancing shoes on as he skirted past several defenders during a 50m run that led to fullback Fergus Burke scoring under the bar.
Loosehead prop Joe Moody capped off the fast finish to the first spell, bagging the Crusaders third five-pointer from a lineout drive.
That was a mortal blow for the Highlanders, who probably wondered how they could be trailing 24-3 as they trotted into the sheds. In the second spell, they simply weren’t in the contest as the Crusaders turned up the heat and added four more tries. Two late fivepointers to midfielder Josh Timu were a consolation prize, only for the Highlanders.
They had faded well before the final siren.