Wilson backs faltering Crusaders
Many rugby pundits are already writing off the winless Crusaders, but Jeff Wilson is convinced the Super Rugby Pacific champions can still make the playoffs.
The Crusaders – winners of the last seven titles – languish at the bottom of the log after five losses on the bounce in 2024.
Former All Blacks wing Sir John Kirwan reckoned he had “never seen a Crusaders game this poor’’ after nine lost lineouts and 44 missed tackles in the side’s 26-6 loss to the Blues in Auckland last weekend.
But Wilson – Kirwan’s fellow panellist on Sky Sport’s The Breakdown show – is refusing to give up on Rob Penney’s side just yet.
After examining the Crusaders’ remaining nine round-robin games, Wilson felt they could sneak into the playoffs –and then be challenging.
“They’ve got the Chiefs at home [on Friday night] ... [a win’s unlikely] given how good the Chiefs are.
“But then they’ve got the Tahs [the Waratahs], the Force, the Rebels and the Reds, four Australian sides.
“Then they’ve got the Highlanders away, which they will look at and go ‘there’s a chance’.
“The Brumbies will be tough, they’re the one side in Australia that’s really, really hard, and then they’ve got the Blues at home and Moana Pasifika at home.’’
Wilson said the Crusaders essentially had to win five games to make the topeight – “they could do that” – and could be a totally different proposition if they did make the playoffs cut.
“Do you want in the first round of the playoffs to come up against a Crusaders team that will look like [George] Bower, [Codie] Taylor and [Fletcher] Newell; [Quinten] Strange and [Scott] Barrett, [Ethan] Blackadder, [Tom] Christie and [Cullen] Grace?
“Then, halfback’s an issue, but Fergus Burke will be back, David Havili, Levi Aumua, Sevu Reece ... Johnny McNicholl.
“Do you want to come up against that? Sorry, you don’t.’’
Wilson was convinced the Crusaders were going to sneak in and the team that finished first in the round robin could find themselves with a challenge.
He said the Crusaders couldn’t be counted out based on what they had in terms of their run home and the personnel that were not there now.
Fellow panellist Mils Muliaina also believed a playoffs place was “absolutely doable’’. He said the Crusaders’ “friend will be the bye’’. They would then get a chance to ”refresh and target those three Australian games’’.