Digging deep, finish sweet
PHOTOSPORT FOR a team with its share of issues, the Crusaders sure are humming along. Imperfectly perfect, with four wins from four to open the new Super Rugby season.
On Friday night in Christchurch the Crusaders reinforced both their dominance over the Blues and their reputation as the comeback kings of this competition with a 33-24 victory that solidified their second spot in the New Zealand conference.
For the third week in a row, the red and blacks had to dig their way out of a deep hole, this time a 19-point second-half deficit.
‘‘The way these games are going isn’t the plan,’’ said assistant coach Brad Mooar. ‘‘It’s not like we’re going out saying we’ll chase the game down.
‘‘But we’re thrilled. If you’d said at the start of the season after four weeks we’d have four wins we’d happily take that.
‘‘A real positive is that, for one reason or another, the vast majority of the squad have been used and had a taste of what it’s all about, so the trust that’s building and the confidence within the group is something really powerful.’’
In many ways this might have been the Crusaders’ best win of the season.
They lost centre Jack Goodhue just before kickoff to a strained calf, had to beg Ryan Crotty to grit his way through a tight hamstring and were without Richie Mo’unga, Israel Dagg, Seta Tamanivalu and Digby Ioane among their firstchoice backline.
They also missed 16 first-half tackles and looked out of the contest as the Blues bolted out to a 24-5 advantage.
Then came the now traditional comeback.
That big pack, bolstered by an early bench injection, took over and crossed for two driving maul tries before the Mitchells, Hunt and Drummond, put the icing on the cake.
It was impressive stuff from a team that had been waving at the wind for much of the first half as the Blues carved up.
‘‘Last night and against the Reds we started so poorly it gave the opposition hope and let them get into their game. We just couldn’t get into any rhythm and the Blues dominated that first 15 minutes,’’ Mooar said.
‘‘We attempted or made 48 tackles in the first 15 minutes and they had made six. So there was an element of attrition in it. But to hold tight and change the game in the last 25 minutes was pleasing to see.’’
Yes, the coaches will demand a more total effort this Friday against the Force. Just for a change.
‘‘Absolutely, we’d love to see the boys execute from the start and not allow the opposition to get comfortable and into their game. But if closing out the last 25 minutes is what it takes, we know we’re up for it.’’
There is good news on the horizon too. Ioane could return this week, and maybe flanker Matt Todd as well.
Meanwhile, Blues skipper James Parsons was looking on the bright side of what he tagged a vast improvement on their disappointing home defeat to the Highlanders a week earlier.
‘‘We were 10 times better. We probably played within ourselves against the Highlanders and didn’t take the opportunities in front of us. That was similar to the last 30 [on Friday night]. But in that first 50 we really showed what we’re capable of, if we trust ourselves and back our skills.’’
With George Moala and Augustine Pulu cutting capers for the Blues, they looked like they’d turned a corner. But then, as Crusaders coach Scott Robertson noted afterwards, ‘‘they went away from their game-plan and let us back in’’.
‘‘We played the game we wanted to for 50 minutes and then didn’t quite execute with that width and flair and directness for the last 30,’’ Parsons said. ‘‘That skill execution let us down and let them off the hook but you have to give credit to their forwards the way they executed the comeback.
‘‘We came down to fight with a style we know we can play and back our instinctive flair. That’s the Blues way and we saw when we do that, we can be pretty dangerous on our day.’’