Bateman back for Crusaders
The scar over Tim Bateman’s left eye is still a mottled purple colour, a reminder of a preseason collision with a team-mate.
Crusaders midfielder Bateman was accidentally clobbered by flanker Jed Brown a week before the Brisbane Global Tens tournament, and unlike the latter, who emerged unscathed, Bateman was left with a wound that looks likely to decorate his face for a while yet.
For Bateman it proved a reminder that the Crusaders play and train for keeps.
Given he played for the Crusaders between 2007-10 and the Hurricanes in 2012-14, Bateman, who also had several stints with Japanese club Coca-Cola Red Sparks during this period, is familiar with the demands of New Zealand Super Rugby teams.
Past experiences also taught him that the Crusaders’ backline often enjoy the equivalent of a magic carpet ride behind a forward pack that has the potential to steam through most obstacles in its path.
So when Bateman took the field as a replacement for Sean Wainui in the second half of the match against the Blues at AMI Stadium last week, he, along with the other backs, must have felt they had been strapped on the back of a rocket as they watched the Crusaders’ forwards rip apart their opponents with their driving mauls.
‘‘The other night was familiar, playing behind a pack that has such dominance and also your role is slightly different,’’ Bateman, 29, said.
‘‘When I was at the Hurricanes, if you were chasing a game we were reliant on the backs to create and help chase those points.
‘‘The other day it was ‘shivers if we can communicate well, get our defensive line set really early and feed the right options’ then our pack would sort of walk over the top of them in the end.
‘‘It was very different, and good to watch.’’
Bateman has been named to start at centre against the Force at AMI Stadium on Friday night, earning the right following his efforts in helping to straighten the attack during the 33-24 win over the Blues.
Watching from the coaching box, Crusaders assistant backs coach Leon MacDonald had little doubt Bateman would run hard at the defensive line when he got his first touch of the ball.
Although eager to get some early contact, Bateman also wanted to send a message to those around him.
‘‘Crocky (Wyatt Crockett) gave me a bit of an earful afterwards for carrying it – I think I stood in front of him and took the ball off him,’’ Bateman said.
‘‘I just thought we needed to be a little more direct, more decisive with our decision making. The pack was just starting to get a bit of ascendancy, so I just wanted to help get the guys’ confidence levels up.’’
Of the team that will start against the Force, only Bateman and Crockett remain from the run-on side that contributed to the 20-12 defeat of the Waratahs in the final at Lancaster Park in 2008 – the last time the Crusaders won the title.
Even with coach Scott Robertson making eight positional changes to the side that recovered from a 19-point deficit to beat the Blues, the Crusaders should be far too strong for a Force side that is without Wallabies Ben McCalman and Dane HaylettPetty.
Robertson is urging caution as his side targets a five from five record.
‘‘Traditionally against the Crusaders they’ve had a lot of narrow defeats and narrow wins,’’ Robertson said in reference to the Force. ‘‘They’ve been a couple of blowouts but other than that they’ve done well against us and we know that.’’
● Sylvia Baldwin, of Avonhead, has won the prize package in Specsavers/Press Crusaders promotions. She wins a double pass to tonight’s Crusaders-Force game at AMI Stadium.