Former All Blacks : This is what Crusaders need to do
Two former All Blacks have highlighted two key areas of improvement for the bottom-of-the-log Crusaders - defence and attack.
The Crusaders are seeking their second win of the Super Rugby Pacific season in their round 10 home game against the Melbourne Rebels on Friday night.
It’s clear Rob Penney’s crew have to get better on both sides of the ball to keep their playoffs hopes alive.
Ex-Crusaders halfback Justin Marshall pinpointed defensive lapses in the 37-15 loss to the Western Force in his analysis on Sky Sport’s The Breakdown Show this week.
He lamented the Crusaders conceding two tries from lineout mauls and also highlighted how wing Sevu Reece was “hooked in’’, allowing space for Force opposite Chase Tiatia to score.
“Leaking points is not helping the Crusaders because they are struggling to score points themselves,’’ Marshall said.
His Breakdown buddy, former All Blacks wing Jeff Wilson, put his finger on discipline - another factor inhibiting the Crusaders, who conceded 15 penalties in Perth, with prop Fletcher Newell pinged three times in the second half.
Wilson said some penalties against the Crusaders were for offsides, and infringing led to them conceding valuable territory and “giving the opposition the opportunity to attack their line.”
Crusaders teams of old have traditionally strangled rival sides through suffocating defence and clinical counter-attack strikes.
But Wilson said the Crusaders’ attack was not getting the same leeway this year because “they are not having the same impact defensively” or are certainly not having “the same impact defensively“.
He said there was “very little momentum going forward and very little front foot ball the backline can operate off”.
Crusaders ball carriers were “being met at the gainline and they are being driven back’’.
“If you can’t create momentum for your halfback, first five, or even multiple carries, you are not putting any pressure on the defence. You are not forcing them backwards. If you are being slowed down or getting beaten in the contact area, there's no post-contact metres.’’
Crusaders chief executive Colin Mansbridge ruled out any change, saying the organisation still had total faith in Penney and his coaching team.
Mansbridge told Stuff that a mid-campaign “check-in’’ had revealed a number of contributing factors for the Crusaders’ struggles, including “breadth and depth of availability’’ challenges leading to players with “low minutes playing alongside each other’’ without having the opportunity to build “some of the innate understanding that you’re seeing come together in some other squads”.
That is particularly true in the inside backs division. Injuries, illness and form have led to the Crusaders scarcely fielding
the same 9-10-12 combination in successive games.
Injuries have undoubtedly been a bugbear.
Everyone knew star pivot Richie Mo’unga’s boots were going to be bigger to fill than coach Scott Robertson’s best breakdancing shoes, but the Crusaders felt they had potential cover in 2023 breakout star Fergus Burke and Waikato recruit Rivez Reihana, backed by project player Taha Kemara. But injuries - including a longterm achilles issue for Burke - scuppered best-laid plans. The Crusaders were forced
to bring in Riley Hohepa - 29 but with just six Super Rugby games behind him and only 21 at NPC level - in to start from round four.
It’s been hard on Hohepa without injured vice-captain David Havili outside him for the last three games while another All Blacks midfielder, Dallas McLeod, had to leave the field with a rib cartilage issue in Perth.
Losing All Blacks veterans Sam Whitelock to France and Codie Taylor to a sabbatical was tough enough pre-season and stocks were depleted further through injuries to hooker Brodie McAlister and captain Scott Barrett (who might be back against the Rebels for his first game since round 4).
But Quinten Strange has played every game as senior lock, and two of the bestperforming forwards have been rookie hooker George Bell, 22, (7 starts and one half off the bench) and Jamie Hannah, 21, who has played every game - the last four as a starter.
A first-round injury to All Black Tamaiti Williams - invaluable for his ability in either propping slot - was another untimely blow.
However, the Crusaders have had continuity in other key areas - stand-in captain Tom Christie and No 8 Cullen Grace have played in all eight games.
Christie is one of five Crusaders to start every match.
Outside backs Chay Fihaki, wing Reece - the best back thus far - and centre Levi Aumua have also had eight run-ons. Macca Springer has been named five times on the
“Leaking points is not helping the Crusaders because they are struggling to score points themselves.’’ Justin Marshall
left wing and had other outings as a backup.
With Barrett and Havili due back imminently, the Crusaders will get a much-needed leadership boost, Taylor isn’t far away from furlough while Burke would be a bonus return.
The heat is now on the Crusaders to produce in the last six rounds, make the top eight and mount an unlikely challenge for the silverware.
As Marshall mused on The Breakdown, the Crusaders “have to be mentally tough enough to find a way”.
Wilson ventured that the back-to-back home fixtures against the Rebels and the Reds were “critical games in the context of [the Crusaders] season”.
He said Penney should “100% be given the benefit of the doubt’’ until he gets “some of his cattle back’’, but if the Crusaders fail to make the eight question marks would have to be asked in a thorough review, “because this team is clearly good enough to make the playoffs in the Super Rugby competition”.