Simply ‘mate against mate’
Having earlier grappled like a pair of angry pub patrons, Sam Whitelock and Ali Williams gathered after the fulltime hooter to smoke the peace pipe.
Less than 20 minutes had passed in Saturday night’s Super match when Williams’ frustrations boiled over and he pinned All Blacks locking partner Whitelock during an undignified wrestle at AMI Stadium. As far as fights go, it was just a bit of gentle slap and tickle, although if either man had decided to throw a full-blooded punch it could have got nasty – especially after All Blacks props Owen Franks and Tony Woodcock also joined the ruckus.
‘‘That was just ‘hey, how are you buddy I haven’t seen you for a while’ and he gave me a whack in the mush,’’ Williams said.
‘‘That is what it is about, though. That is why I love playing these games.
‘‘It is the closest thing we have got to playing Origin in this country, it is mate against mate.’’
When Franks trundled across to help his Crusaders team-mate out, he was set upon by Woodcock who plonked a half-hearted punch across his head in an attempt to dampen his enthusiasm for the melee. After the final whistle, Williams and Whitelock chatted amicably on the field as several other internationals mingled with World Cup team-mates.
‘‘What happens on the field is on the field and what’s off it, is off it,’’ Williams said.
Whitelock said he was not upset by Williams pinning him to the deck where he gave him a rough facial.
‘‘We are good mates. We are both competitors who love to give it our all and I think that is the way it should be.
‘‘Because you are good mates you want to make sure you win, it is always that much more satisfying.’’
Williams, 31, came off second best in most facets.
Not only did Whitelock’s side triumph 59-12, he produced a performance to contrast his lethargic effort during the previous weekend’s loss to the Rebels in Melbourne.
The 23-year-old was probably the standout of the Crusaders forwards. He almost scored a try in the first half when he plucked a perfect Dan Carter cross-kick out of the orbit to dive for the corner but had it disallowed when he put a foot into touch.
Whitelock also scooped a Blues defensive lineout throw out of Williams’ hands several minutes after their scrape, which led to captain Richie Mccaw scoring from a driving maul to give the Crusaders a 17-0 lead. He was committed to throwing his bulk around and signalled to the All Blacks coach that with Brad Thorn gone, he was in a position to be considered his No 1 second rower.