Apologies Dane, we love our derbies
It doesn’t matter how good your players are if they don’t want to get out there and play for each other.
Todd Blackadder turned to wife Priscilla during Super Rugby’s June break. All of a sudden it hit home; the final, defining chapter of his eightyear tenure at the Crusaders had begun. Two weeks ago, when Scott Robertson was a surprise appointment over Tabai Matson to take over the Crusaders next season, it dawned on Blackadder.
Even in the best case scenario where he secures his first coaching title at the Crusaders, in a matter of months he will sign off.
‘‘That’s when it became really real,’’ Blackadder said. ‘‘This is actually happening.’’
Friday night’s 23-13 loss to the Chiefs in Suva was a blow but not a terminal one just yet.
The Crusaders should bank a win, possibly five points, against the Rebels in Christchurch next week, and then host the Hurricanes in the final round. They will be part of the playoffs.
After that, Blackadder could be off to the Reds or another destination, with Matson and Dave Hewett expected to follow him out the door.
With his time drawing to a close, Blackadder is determined to push through the last remaining barrier.
‘‘Reflecting on my eight years in charge, I’ll never get this opportunity again with this team. Not in the near future anyway. It’s not only myself but the whole coaching group who come together every day so there’s a lot of motivation there. ‘‘I also really want to enjoy it.’’ From personnel to expectations, a distinctly different feel surrounds the Crusaders this year.
Losing Richie McCaw and Dan Carter, along with Colin Slade and Tom Taylor, stripped New Zealand’s most successful franchise of their pin-up stars and crucial depth. It also simplified things and opened a path for change.
No more playing Carter at second-five; no more tinkering at No 10.
Once the envy of the country with a plethora of All Blacks and first fiveeighths, Blackadder was left with rookie Canterbury playmaker Richie Mo’unga and seemingly no hope of claiming elusive silverware. Or so predictions went. ‘‘We’ve revelled in the underdog status,’’ he said. ‘‘Even now I still feel like we are.’’
Where others were sceptical, Blackadder kept the faith.
Mo’unga is far from the finished product but his poise, confidence and goalkicking accuracy have grown every week behind a world class forward pack.
Intentional or not, he’s been a big part of dispelling a few myths.
So much of why the Crusaders were, before this campaign, always contenders also held them back.
Their consistently strong presence of All Blacks formed a constantly imposing outfit – and the downside of the subconscious burden of pacing themselves through each relentless season. No more was this evident than before last year’s Rugby World Cup, when the Crusaders missed the playoffs Todd Blackadder for the first time in 14 years.
‘‘What it shows, the last couple of years, is it doesn’t matter how good your players are if they don’t want to get out there and play for each other and the jersey then you just go through the motions,’’ Blackadder said.
‘‘With the team this year we’ve focused on what they can do, rather than what they can’t. We’ve got leaders who are leading this team really well.
‘‘It’s genuine and authentic and that’s what makes it so enjoyable.’’
Successful teams harness a collective cause and spirit. The Chiefs pulled together in 2012 and 2013 behind a deep embrace of Maori culture and connection with their region; the unheralded Highlanders used those who wrote them off as motivation several times last year.
The Crusaders? They haven’t been this committed since the earthquakes forced them to play every match outside Christchurch in 2011.
Ultimately, that season ended in disappointment, with a heartbreaking 18-13 loss to the Reds in the Brisbane finale. And there was further agony three years later when a poor refereeing decision saw them suffer a one-point loss in the 2014 final against the Waratahs in Sydney.
Against the odds this year, a hungry, rejuvenated Crusaders have given themselves a chance to make amends and offer Blackadder a sense of payback.
‘‘The last time I felt like this was in 2011 with the earthquakes,’’ Blackadder said. ‘‘There was purpose and meaning that was so significant. If it wasn’t for that unbelievable natural disaster we all went through . . . we had a great team and I truly believe we were the best team in the competition that year.
‘‘What it showed me was the more we got to the goal all those underlying emotions came out. That was a team that really wanted it and we just weren’t good enough on the night, which was devastating.
‘‘We had a really good feeling that year and there’s a really good feeling in this camp.
‘‘Winning it is a helluva lot harder than what people realise. We’d love to nail this one, there’s no doubt about that.’’
Before the final page is turned, Blackadder would love nothing more than to deliver a parting gift to his parochial base. On paper, he’s had much better squads in previous years but maybe none more harmonious.
As the inevitable farewell begins – the last time in this dressing room, at that familiar ground – the focus sits squarely on not squandering this tilt at glory.
‘‘We’ve talked about it as coaches. There could be a lot of changes here but the only thing we want to do is prepare the team.
‘‘It’s not time to get nostalgic; it’s not time to get emotional or think about ourselves.
‘‘It’s time to get this team ready to go. If we do that we’ll give ourselves a good chance.’’
The Super Rugby draw is a conundrum. Now, before you roll your eyes and say I can’t be bothered reading through more confusing complications, we promise to keep this simple.
Dane Coles made an interesting point when he told Fairfax reporter Hamish Bidwell this week he’d prefer to play the Kiwi teams once each year.
Coles’ reasoning was sound – local derbies are more fierce than any others.
They sap energy and leave battered bodies; Jeffery ToomagaAllen the latest casualty, with a suspected broken arm.
The upshot is the Kiwis are disadvantaged and damage their hopes of taking out the title by effectively cannibalising each other.
Organisers cut the number of allKiwi games from eight each to six this year. Trouble is, these matches are by far and away Super Rugby’s premium product; the cre`me de la cre` me.
That is even truer this year than last. The difference between the Blues against Hurricanes game last night versus the Brumbies and Reds match on Friday is like choosing between rib eye or chuck steak. Succulent or second-rate.
So while Coles makes a legitimate case, why would fans want to see any less of the best?
The Blues and Hurricanes scored five tries in 13 minutes in a first half that featured 41 points.
Sure, there were soft defensive moments, particularly from the Hurricanes. But the offloading and pace of the New Zealand game is on another planet. It’s breathless. And the collisions lack nothing by comparison.
Athletes with the size and skills of Steven Luatua and Patrick Tuipulotu are rarely sighted elsewhere. Jerome Kaino, 33-yearsyoung it seems, scored two tries after turning it on in the first two tests against Wales last month.
In the Hurricanes midfield you found Matt Proctor making sound decisions and breaks; halfback TJ Perenara laying on a try for Vaea Fifita with silky sleight of hand.
Fans flock to see these talents. Meanwhile, Australia and South Africa’s best continue to flock overseas.
Sanzaar bosses are reviewing the state of the convoluted competition, with everything from a reduction of teams in some areas to expansion in others said to be on the table when further change is made for the 2018 season.
Players’ opinions should carry weight – they’re the ones at the coalface, getting smashed about every week. No-one understands the toll more than them.
But you’d be hard pressed to find anyone watching these engrossing, electric Kiwi encounters who wants fewer than we’ve got now.
Sorry Dane.