Crusaders lose midfield rock Crotty
At a glance
Ryan Crotty is out, and Sam Whitelock is in.
When Crusaders coach Scott Robertson confirmed second fiveeighth Crotty, the rock of his backline, couldn’t play the Highlanders because of concussion issues he didn’t downplay the significance of his departure.
‘‘He is huge for us,’’ Robertson said. ‘‘ He is an on-field coach, passionate and plays well in every big game that we have had. So we will miss him.’’
If ever there was a game tailormade for battle-hungry All Blacks midfielder Crotty, who had to leave the field early in the 29-19 loss to the Hurricanes last weekend after appearing to collide with a team-mate, it would be a Super Rugby match against the southern rivals inside the enclosed stadium in Dunedin tomorrow night.
These are the sort of occasions where you need an old head to remain stony-faced when opponents are repeatedly firing shots and that is what Crotty has done over the years; he has been the glue that has helped keep the backline together. Now, in comes Tim Bateman, himself no novice at this level – his resume notes 78 appearances have been made for the Crusaders and Hurricanes since 2007 – at No 12.
‘‘We made an early call with Ryan,’’ Robertson stated. ‘‘With the amount of concussions he has had previously, it was the best thing to do. And to give him as much time to be ready, and the rest of the team know that. It was a bit of advice from the doc, and him personally, and just how he was feeling. He knows when he is right. He was OK, but not good enough to go through the HIA process early in the week.’’
The news in regards to captain and lock Whitelock is much better.
Whitelock, who was forced to retire soon after Crotty, will start and is set to resume his role of calling the lineouts.
Robertson said his skipper was so eager to get into his work that he had to be reminded to take it easy.
‘‘He was fine after the game, was fine the next day and has been great all week,’’ Robertson said. ‘‘With Sam it was really clear. The decision made itself around the HIA. As you go through the week, there are some clear processes you have to go through and he was fine.’’
Robertson admitted the early departures of Whitelock and Crotty at the Cake Tin caught him on the hop. Although openside flanker Matt Todd, another Super Rugby centurion, had captained the side in the past, the team was suddenly robbed of a massive amount of intellectual property and leadership.
‘‘It actually got me,’’ Robertson admitted. ‘‘That got me, the old two head knocks in pretty much the same play. We knew Toddy was going to be captain at that time, and obviously Luke Romano took over from Sam in the lineout calling.
‘‘But the big thing is, you always keep big players on at the end of the game, to inject energy - and we didn’t quite have it.’’
The job of tapping into the personnel on the reserves bench is going to be crucial. Against the Hurricanes, the Crusaders lacked fresh men due to the early departures because of injuries. As the defence coach Robertson is charged with ensuring his men counter the Highlanders’ desire to play with speed.
‘‘Tempo is critical and they have been very successful over the years in running teams off their feet. We are aware of that, we have defended it all pre-season.’’
Loose forward Elliot Dixon has recovered from the concussion symptoms which ruled him out of last week’s 33-15 win against the Stormers, while co-captain and hooker Ash Dixon has taken his place on the bench after missing last week’s game with a back complaint.
In targeting their first win against the Crusaders since 2016, the mostly injury-free Highlanders have a ton of firepower, including wing Waisake Naholo, who has chalked up eight tries in the past five games between the teams.
The Highlanders have only won two of their past 11 games against the Crusaders, and trail their arch rivals 22-10 in the head-to-head stakes since 1996.
Including last year’s 17-0 shutout loss in the quarterfinals, the Highlanders lost all three southern derbies last year, including a nail-biter in the corresponding fixture last year, when the Crusaders ran in three late tries to turn a 27-6 deficit into a 30-27 win.