Mudlarks wallow in home swamp advantage
If the weather stays as awful as it has been, stick the mortgage on the Crusaders.
No side loves the rain and wind as much as they do and if the Highlanders are the ultimate playoff team given their attitude and spirit, then the Crusaders are the perfect atrocious weather team given the raw power, brutality and cohesion of their pack.
In a mud bath such as they encountered, they were in their element. The Highlanders left Dunedin in a state of emergency only to find themselves in a similar state 10 minutes into the game.
There was never much of a contest, not the one everyone had hoped for. Not one that gave the Highlanders a fair chance because they simply couldn’t compete with a Crusaders team that not only did all the right things, but did them so well.
The nature and style of their victory will have done an enormous amount to boost their confidence which would have been dented by their last two less-than-convincing performances.
But with the rot stopped and now only four teams left, they will have an increased sense that this could, finally, once again be their year.
It has been a while since they had home advantage in the playoffs and that’s all-important. Not just for the statistically obvious, either. The home side has won 80 per cent of knockout games since 1996.
But there’s an added element to playing at home for the Crusaders, which is that Christchurch can be a hostile place in mid-winter.
At this time of year, it can be no place for running rugby. Even if the conditions aren’t as bad as they were for the quarter-final — and they were awful — it is still not really a ground that lends itself to pass and catch and those teams who like to play wide-wide.
Which suits the Crusaders just fine because their pack loves nothing more than a slug fest. That’s their strength. Their lineout, with Kieran Read, Sam Whitelock and Scott Barrett, was superb.
Their pick and go was relentless and effective. Big men were on hand to smash it up and their ball retention was excellent. There was no hurry or panic about their work — just this certainty that they could grind their way forward at a pace to suit.
Which they did, scoring two up the jumper tries that the Highlanders never had any chance of stopping.
Bryn Hall and Richie Mo’unga kicked well and so did Israel Dagg. They turned the Highlanders, found space and gained territory, and they did it so well, in fact, it was as if they had learned plenty from playing against the British and Irish Lions a few weeks ago.
And they tackled. And they tackled. And they tackled.
But the star of their show and what sets them up so well to push on in this competition, is their scrummaging. It’s a weapon.
They can crush just about any team with it, and on a heavy field, with space at a premium and opportunities minimal, to be able to scrum for penalties is gold.
The tight five were the heroes of the hour and they will be ready and willing to back that up this week. Winter rugby is their time to shine; their chance to roll up their sleeves and flex their muscles.
The Crusaders will be quite happy for the heavens to stay open all week and keep their home patch a swamp.