Unbeaten Crusaders top Super table
At times it was so ugly you didn’t know where to look, as the Crusaders prevailed to beat the Force 45-17 in Christchurch on Friday night.
The glass half-full brigade might reach for their pints and blurt all the necessary positives to back their arguments during their post-match summaries, noting the Crusaders’ bonus-point victory at AMI Stadium means they have not only maintained their unbeaten run - their longest since 2008 - but also charged to the top of the New Zealand conference for at least the next 24 hours.
Fair enough.
But don’t dare try and sell this as a game you could wax lyrical about until the door staff say it’s time to call for last drinks.
For the first 30 minutes the Crusaders looked like a team that could clock-up 60 points, as they mixed their running game with some powerful defensive hits; men like tighthead prop Owen Franks struck opponents like strainer post slapping into wet mud with their tackles, and holes were found all over the place on attack.
The midfield of Ryan Crotty and Tim Bateman looked cohesive, the forwards, led again by their tireless skipper Sam Whitelock, ground easily over the advantage line and things looks pretty sweet.
Tries to Digby Ioane, Matt Todd and Scott Barrett in the first 21 minutes suggested this could be entertaining. Then it was time to think again.
The Force dug their heels in, showing some real grit, and the Crusaders struggled to contain a penalty count - the majority of them during the scrums.
Eventually referee Rohan Hoffman caned the Crusaders 17-12 in this facet, reducing what many Crusaders fans hoped would be a free-flowing affair into a slog.
Yellow cards were issued to Crusaders replacement loosehead prop Tim Perry and Force flanker Isi Naisarani, for scrum and breakdown infringements respectively.
No surprises, then, that the Crusaders often reverted to what they know best; their driving lineout, finishing off the night with a try to replacement rake Ben Funnell from a rolling maul.
Injuries also gouged a hole in the Force’s line-up, losing centre and former NRL power runner Curtis Rona and tighthead prop Jermaine Ainsley.
The sound of Ainsley, the son of former All Blacks prop Joe McDonnell, screaming in agony after damaging his arm during a scrum collapse caused concern for his team-mates and spectators alike but, thankfully, he was able to climb on to the cart and be assisted from the field.
On either side of the halftime break watching this fixture proved an exercise in frustration, with scrum collapses and a string of penalties eventually resulting in pow-wows between the front rows and Hoffman.
Hoffman at times looked to be at his wits end, especially when the Force were awarded repeat penalties mid-way through the second spell prior to Crusaders replacement Perry being yellow carded.
An angry Perry wore the look of a biker who had his Harley Davidson flogged by a schoolboy when he was suspended, and rightly so.
The scrums were a pig’s breakfast; Perry simply copped the blame.
You could also pitch a few controversial tries into the plot; Crusaders lock Luke Romano caught a lucky break when given a try at the back of a Force ruck and Force wing Chance Peni appeared to benefit from obstruction on Jordan Taufua when he claimed a five-pointer on the bell.
It was win for the Crusaders. Pretty it was not.