Matera won’t be returning to red and blacks next year
One and done. Loose forward Pablo Matera won’t be back for a second year at the Crusaders.
Head coach Scott Robertson confirmed so shortly after the weary red and blacks arrived to ‘‘Crusaders’’ chants at Christchurch airport yesterday morning.
Robertson had hoped the hardnosed Puma would be back for a second season, but the 28-year-old is set to announce his latest destination in the coming days.
‘‘No. He’s not [back]. It’s very sad. We’d loved to have kept him, but it hasn’t worked out that way. He’s decided to take another opportunity,’’ Robertson said.
Matera was all smiles on
Saturday night, and yesterday morning, after finally winning a championship.
Ahead of the Crusaders’ 21-7 triumph over the Blues at Eden Park, he’d stressed how desperate he was to win a title, something he hadn’t achieved in 10 globe-trotting years.
Having been on the losing side to the Crusaders in the 2019 final, when he played a whale of a game for the Jaguares in Christchurch, he had a big hand in the Crusaders’ sixth title in as many years.
It was his superbly placed kick wing Sevu Reece pounced on with four minutes to play which iced the Crusaders’ seventh straight win over the Blues at Eden Park.
‘‘For him, he asked to come here and win a championship. To
do it is another thing. We are pleased for him,’’ Robertson said.
He also shone light on Matera’s decisive touch, recalling a similar play earlier in the season against the Highlanders.
‘‘I said, ‘oooohhh, we might just have to put that away’. He goes, ‘yes, I won’t do one again’. Then I just said, ‘mate, good on ya, you trusted your instincts’. That was world-class, just the weight of it, how it landed. He pretty much can do whatever he wants now.’’
Matera is set to return to Argentina tomorrow to prepare for a three-match test series against Scotland, but not before the Crusaders finish celebrating their record-extending 13th title.
Swarmed by fans yesterday morning, celebrations were set to continue into the day, before a prizegiving today.
Robertson was, naturally, loudly cheered by those who welcomed their team home yesterday, but perhaps the loudest ovation of all went to second-year props Fletcher Newell and Tamaiti Williams, after the MC mentioned their second half demolition job of All Blacks Karl Tu’inukuafe and Ofa Tuungafasi shortly after coming off the bench and packing a scrum.
‘‘The Greg Somervilles, the Dave Hewetts, the Stu Loes, all the props of bygone years past would have been off their seats, won’t they?’’ Robertson said.
‘‘[Forwards coach] Jase Ryan has done an incredible amount of work with those young guys the last three-four years to get them ready.’’