‘No excuses’: Robertson seeks
The Crusaders’ undefeated streak is over — now the defending champions are looking forward to rebuilding, starting with a match against the Hurricanes which could test their title ambitions to the fullest.
Their 20-12 defeat to the Waratahs at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday night which halted their winning streak at 19 (not counting their cancelled game nine days ago against the Highlanders declared a draw) was so out of character, it might be tempting for Scott Robertson to flush the metaphorical dunny and not look back.
The match against the Hurricanes in Wellington on Friday is looming as key because they have only five days to prepare and their rivals are now level on 19 competition points, the Crusaders remaining top due to their healthier points difference. They also beat John Plumtree’s men in Christchurch in round two.
The circumstances in which the Crusaders found themselves over the past week — the horrific deaths of 50 Muslims in Christchurch at the hands of a terrorist — clearly affected the players and coaches.
Before the match, both teams and coaches stood as one in the middle of the SCG pitch to pay their respects, a sign of connection the Waratahs retained among themselves after kickoff far better than their opponents.
Such were the constant handling and decision-making errors by the white-clad Crusaders, they literally and figuratively appeared pale imitations of the side which had beaten all Australian opponents since May, 2015.
“We were really desperate to play well and represent our people to show how much we care. You could see how hard we worked, but I think we dropped enough ball for the whole season, so it’s out of our system now,” said Robertson.
“It’s a tough week, but we’re Crusaders, we don’t make excuses, we just needed to be better.”
The Crusaders were poor defensively in the first half as the Waratahs shot to a 12-0 lead, and missed the experience of resting All Blacks Richie Mo’unga and Scott Barrett, plus Owen Franks, a late withdrawal due to a shoulder problem.
Mo’unga’s replacement Brett Cameron struggled under the combined
pressures of the slippery ball and Waratahs rush defence but there were few Crusaders who didn’t contribute to their catalogue of handling errors.
“We were our own worst enemy at times,” said captain Sam Whitelock. “When we went to exit, we would drop the ball and give them another shot. There are only so many tackles you can make in a game. We gave them free goes at it and full credit to them, they took those opportunities and squeezed us on the scoreboard and we ran out of time at the end.”
The Waratahs’ kicking game was also far better, and in fullback Israel Folau, they have probably the best aerial player in the world.
“Foley and Phipps did a good job of turning us around and Folau should be working for Nasa — I tell you what, he’s pretty good in the air,” said Robertson.
So the Crusaders’ record winning streak comes to a close, the clock reset. But while there will be immense disappointment within the camp — more at the way they performed than the halting of a winning run — the setback could serve to allow them to refocus on what’s important.
Robertson said of the streak: “It was special and we wanted so desperately to keep that going . . . one good thing as you reflect is the way we won those games: from behind, from in front, finals footy. It was a great run and it’s an opportunity to start again.
“One good thing about now is that we’ve got [five] days until we play again, so we can have a great week as we look forward and really focus on the rugby.”