Under-rated Crotty shows he’s a class act

Crusaders resemble men from glory days as they show off their remarkable grit and defence.

HISTORY, bookmakers, home advantage, and commonsense suggested the Crusaders would win their way to the Super Rugby final in Christchurch, and so they did.

Nobody knows better than the Crusaders that flying to South Africa is usually a recipe for disaster in this competition. In the eight years since they last took the title they’ve had to fly to Africa four times, and never been able to take away a competition victory.

At the TAB they were offering odds of three to one against the Chiefs, which seemed wildly extravagant, but the odds-makers are making cold-eyed decisions that don’t rely on sentiment, and they were right.

Home ground? Not just on game night, but during the week, when the Chiefs were grabbing their sleep on lie-flat aeroplane seats the Crusaders were in their own beds.

So commonsense pointed to the Crusaders having the inside running. What the Chiefs needed were some early breaks, well before the deadening effect of crossing 12 hours worth of time zones kicked in.

Despite having a massive advantage in early possession, 77 per cent to 23 per cent by halftime, the Chiefs were denied the breaks they needed.

Even when Tim NanaiWilliams was plunging over for what looked like a game-changing try in the 20th minute there was frustration and disappointment when slow motion replays showed the ball had slipped loose.

In the golden age of the Crusaders, in the years shortly after 1998 when they won their first title, and Colombo Street was almost permanently booked for victory parades, Robbie Deans noted that ‘‘you don’t always have to have the ball to control the game, if your defence is aggressive enough.’’

So it would prove last night. Fearless, ruthless defence meant the Chiefs were ultimately frustrated and well beaten.

There are some quite remarkable defenders in the Crusaders. Matt Todd is basically a spring-powered machine, who, the second he makes a tackle, rebounds back onto his feet to make another one. Picture a gymnast with a lethal desire to knock down anything that catches his eye, and you’d be describing Todd.

Another crucial man for the Crusaders is Ryan Crotty. How important is his combination of coolly analytical decision-making and muscular work-rate?

So important I’d suggest he’s the most under-rated man in New Zealand rugby. Great teams usually have a terrific playmaker in the backline outside the decision-makers in the halves. Back in ‘87 with the All Blacks it was Joe Stanley. At the last two World Cups it was Conrad Smith.

Without Crotty the Crusaders are not the machine they are with him. Neither are the All Blacks. It was, of course, more than just his loss through injury behind the results, but the last two games the Crusaders played without him were the only one they’ve lost this season, and the last two tests for the All Blacks minus Crotty ended in a loss and a draw.

On a surface still suffering from last week’s civil emergency weather bomb the game was always going to be a gritty wrestle, and with these two sides, featuring the two most powerful packs in the New Zealand conference, it was going to be fiery.

In case there was any doubt

Without Crotty the Crusaders are not the machine they are with him’

about the intensity there was the unusual statement from Chiefs’ coach Dave Rennie before the game that there was ‘‘hate’’ in the relationship between the teams, and the weird sight of All Black team-mates Brodie Retallick and Owen Franks exchanging slightly more than handbags.

The difference, in blunt terms, was that the Crusaders were just too strong when it came to the physical battle.

It would have been slightly weird if they hadn’t been. The All Black selectors are as astute as any group that ever picked a New Zealand team, and seven of the Crusaders’ starting eight are in the All Black squad.

I doubt the TAB will be offering three to one odds if the Crusaders have to go to Johannesburg next weekend, but if the Hurricanes have to fly back and play in Christchurch the Crusaders will certainly start as hot favourites.

There are more than enough signs that the wobble that was losing to the Lions in Christchurch and the Canes in Wellington, has gone, and what we’re now seeing are a group of Crusaders firmly in the tradition of the men from the glory days.