Crusaders’ lineout dominance stuns Leon
got up well. It was like they had our playbook there. They were reading our play and causing a lot of trouble there. We tried variations, and were just unable to get quality ball to launch off. The scrum was similar.’’.
Macdonald admitted the Blues got what they expected from the Crusaders, and just failed to respond. To that end, despite the win streak they remain very much a work in progress.
‘‘Ten missed lineouts is hard to live off. It’s as simple as that – and scrum penalties etc. We weren’t able to get any momentum which is hugely disappointing given it happened in the final.
‘‘That aside, we can still be proud of what was a bloody good season for the Blues – a 15-2 record was good, we’ve made some progress but tonight shows there’s still some work to be done.’’
Macdonald felt all was not lost at 13-0 down at halftime, though admitted that Bryn Hall’s 40thminute try had been a key moment for the visitors on the back of a pretty dominant spell.
‘‘We needed to come out in the second half and score first, and weren’t able to do that either. We weren’t able to grab the big moments – it was all the Crusaders and that’s why they’ve won six titles [under Scott Robertson].’’
Blues skipper and No 10 Beauden Barrett, outplayed on the night by Richie Mo’unga, expressed similar frustrations.
‘‘They had a strategy to sort us out at set-piece time, and certainly put us under a lot of pressure and spoiled our flow and tempo that we like to play with.
‘‘It was frustrating we couldn’t get into our game, and whenever we did get going it was not on our terms.’’
Wayne Smith is revered for his rugby knowledge but figuring out which Black Ferns rookies to stick with will be an enormous challenge for the master coach in the weeks ahead.
In the three tests since Smith took over as coach, alongside assistants Wesley Clarke and Whitney Hansen, the Black Ferns have markedly improved with each victory in the Pacific Four Series this month.
The world champion Kiwi team clinched the Pacific title with Saturday’s 50-6 rout of the United States in Whanga¯ rei in dreadful, wet conditions, but the rain couldn’t deter their freespirited attacking game that clicked so clinically in the far north.
‘‘In rain like that, to score 50 points, that’s attacking intent. It wasn’t perfect, but you’ve got to be proud with that,’’ Smith said.
It was their third test in as many as weeks and with different lineups throughout the series, the coaches have blooded 11 test debutantes (about a third of the squad).
Midfielder-turned-prop Lucy Anderson and hooker Natalie Delamere were the latest two on Saturday and Smith said there will be some tough decisions to make when it comes up to finalising the squad for their next tests against Australia in August.
As well as the rookies, several experienced Black Ferns are due back after being given extra time to get in the best nick for a season which culminates with the
Rugby World Cup in New
Zealand in October and November.
Among those set to return are forwards such as last year’s captain Les Elder, former vice-captain Eloise Blackwell, last season’s Black Fern of the year Kennedy Simon, 38-test prop Aleisha-pearl Nelson and 2017 World Cup winner Charmaine Mcmenamin.
Add sevens stars, such as
Kelly Brazier, Portia Woodman and Stacey Fluhler, who might be available after next month’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, and there is a trio of backs in contention who have already won every major honour in the game.
They would dearly love a chance to play at the first women’s World Cup in their homeland.
That’s why a star like Ruby