Crusaders in control from start
The competition was watching closely for signs of complacency from the Crusaders.
It was a forlorn hope as the 13-0 franchise has now virtually sewn up the New Zealand conference after a giving the Melbourne Rebels a bonuspoint shellacking at their home ground of AAMI Park.
They did it without Codie Taylor, Owen Franks, Matt Todd, Kieran Read, Ryan Crotty and Jack Goodhue. But you would hardly have noticed, especially in the first half.
Right wing Israel Dagg made his long-awaited comeback, but lacked confidence with his running game and his first touches were inauspicious, missing a tackle and losing the handle on a pass. But it didn’t matter when centre Seta Tamanivalu was passing like it was netball and David Havili was eating up the metres at will from the back. Richie Mo’unga continued his sterling form at No 10.
All Blacks fans will be hoping Sam Whitelock is not peaking too early. The Crusaders lock and captain did his core tasks with aplomb, ran with energy, probed in the wide channels and fired passes off his left hand.
Whitelock set up left wing Manasa Mataele for the first try with a powerful surge, and then gave the assist for the first of two tries to replacement loose forward Jed Brown. It was a virtuoso display from an in-form senior player.
The Rebels had little ball in the first spell, though Reece Hodge’s sinbinning for a slap down was costly — the visitors ran in three tries while he was sedentary. However, they did rally in the second stanza with a brace to wing Marika Koroibete and a try to Toby Smith, one of three Kiwis in the Rebels’ starting line-up.
Yet every time the Rebels turned over ball, they were stretched on defence, as the Crusaders’ speed and ability to transition from defence to attack was compelling.
Still, it will niggle the Crusaders that they were perhaps not more clinical in the second half after setting up a commanding 31-7 lead. Some of their fans can, nevertheless, start dreaming of a possible 19-0 season, including the Lions clash. That would certainly trump the 13-0 record of Robbie Deans’ class of 2002.