Eight out of eight
Crusaders coach appears to have found the missing ingredient
SWell, it would be a bit boring if we picked Beauden Barrett every week. And while the world’s best player was again in transcendent form in the Hurricanes’ crushing of the Brumbies, Aso was the able beneficiary to much of Barrett’s playmaking. Back in his more familiar midfield role, the 22-year-old led both teams in metres (131), defenders beaten (eight) and clean breaks (four). He also bagged a hat-trick, taking his tally to a competition-leading 10 tries from eight games. With seven round robin matches and as many as three playoff fixtures awaiting the Hurricanes, Aso should make a serious run at Joe Roff’s single-season Super Rugby record of 16, set in 1997. cott Robertson, wisely, isn’t getting ahead of himself. The Crusaders coach, who has begun his Super Rugby career with eight victories from eight, is overseeing a squad playing with intensity and accuracy every week, and should be favourites to maintain their unbeaten record in South Africa, where they play the Cheetahs and Bulls, over the next fortnight.
His team are playing with an enthusiasm which suggests whatever
But we know we are just creating an opportunity for ourselves at the end of the year to do something that hasn’t been done for a while. Scott Robertson
off-field theme the former All Blacks and Crusaders loose forward has come up with in his debut season has been fully bought into.
An indication of that was their attitude in the opening minutes of their match against the Stormers in Christchurch.
The Crusaders hardly saw the ball in the opening 10 minutes of their bonus-point victory but they showed their intent regardless, sprinting into the eye-line of the visiting attack and either shunting them backwards or spooking them into a mistake.
Defence is something Robertson regards as his area of expertise, so it’s probably not a surprise the Crusaders have responded there. And when his side did finally win possession, they put five first-half tries past a shellshocked opposition before running out 57-24 winners.
Asked about his winning record after the match at AMI Stadium, Robertson replied: “You know that question is difficult — because I don’t want to set myself up.
“But I know that as a group we prepare well each week. The boys care and we love what we are doing. It has been a good run. But we know we are just creating an opportunity for ourselves at the end of the year to do something that hasn’t been done for a while.”
That the Crusaders haven’t won a title since 2008 has been a sore point for them and their supporters who had become used to winning. Robbie Deans was the last coach to do it and now Robertson appears to have found the missing ingredient which should make his team one of the favourites for the title. That enthusiasm has bred competition across the