Canes star, Crusaders stutter
Kirwan in denial while Blackadder retains belief
NEW ZEALAND teams bookend the top and bottom of the Super Rugby ladder, but it’s the southern franchises of the Highlanders and Crusaders who hold most intrigue seven weeks into the season.
The Hurricanes’ dream start to the season is showing no signs of letting up after they solidified their growing reputation as a defensive force by repelling endless waves of Rebels forwards before running away with a 36-12 win at Westpac Stadium.
Only the Australian conferenceleading Brumbies have a better defensive record than the Hurricanes, who are three points clear of the Chiefs in the New Zealand Conference.
Blues coach John Kirwan refuses to rule out a playoff berth, but his side’s season is all but over after they fell to a 23-11 loss to the defending champion Waratahs in Sydney.
‘‘That [loss] doubles the pressure on next week,’’ Kirwan said ahead of a tough trip to Hamilton. ‘‘The pressure is mounting, you can’t deny that. But that’s where we’re at, and we just need to keep focusing on what we can control and that’s getting ready for the Chiefs.’’
In reality, the change of first fiveeighth to Dan Bowden didn’t really spark the attack in Sydney, though centre George Moala added some bite, and Kirwan is fast running out of options.
The Crusaders are way off that status, but after a 31-19 loss to the Bulls in Pretoria, their season needs a shot in the arm. Effort wasn’t an issue against the Bulls, but execution was lacking as they committed 19 turnovers and conceded 14 penalties during a frustrating match.
Coach Todd Blackadder had clearly told his players to run the Bulls ragged and a major positive was the sight of Israel Dagg carving up territory on foot for the second week running.
Richie McCaw stepped up his game a notch too, but small moments didn’t fall the Crusaders way, a Grant Hattingh intercept try and a forward pass from Nemani Nadolo to replacement Colin Slade crucial in the end.
The Crusaders are well capable of resurrecting their season, but the carrot of automatic playoff qualification for winning the New Zealand conference is slipping away with the Hurricanes already 13 points ahead.
‘‘There’s still belief,’’ Blackadder maintained. ‘‘Sometimes these things are a bit of a test of faith, aren’t they? I can’t fault the boys – they left everything out on the field and walked away with nothing.’’
The Crusaders might also note the Highlanders are showing no signs of slowing down after an energetic and entertaining 39-21 win over the Stormers in Dunedin.
Most encouragingly for coach Jamie Joseph, who still has to rest his All Blacks players, it was not the go-to stars who shone brightest against the Stormers.
First five-eighth Lima Sopoaga’s long passing game and vision for space from turnover ball is sparking the Highlanders attack. Wing Waisake Naholo is delivering on his long held promise, loose forward Elliott Dixon keeps getting better, and props Brendon Edmonds and Josh Hohneck are playing out of their skin.