Crusaders give Reds a hiding
Farewelling Dan Carter and Richie McCaw with a loss in their last guaranteed Super Rugby match at AMI Stadium would have been unacceptable.
Thankfully for the two rugby icons their team-mates, and those long-time supporters who had watched the pair blossom from nervous rookies into legends, the Crusaders pummelled the Reds 58-17 on Friday night.
Carter started at second fiveeighth and replacement flanker McCaw took the field in the 57th minute as the Crusaders ran in eight tries against a Queensland side that had little appetite to tackle the explosive Nemani Nadolo down the left flank or his ball-running forwards up the guts.
Yes, much of the applause was directed at McCaw and Carter after the fixture but it was nothing compared to the rousing reception given to lock Sam Whitelock who scored one of the greatest individual tries claimed by a tight forward at the Christchurch arena.
Don’t worry if you missed it on the idiot box because footage of Whitelock’s run, which started inside his own half and required him to beat five tacklers before triumphantly slamming the ball over the line, is sure to be replayed until he is well into his dotage.
So how did Carter and McCaw mark the occasion? The former made crucial transfers in the lead-up to two tries, tackled accurately and made a turnover. McCaw’s chances were more limited but it was a solid shift – little to sniff about there.
So why, all of a sudden, did the Crusaders dazzle the hapless Reds with their attack? This has been a long time coming – some will have every right to say too long – but noone could say it wasn’t spectacular.
Even with lock Dominic Bird yellow carded for being offside at a ruck late in the first half, they refused to get flustered.
When Nadolo intercepted James O’Connor’s pass immediately after halftime, and then buried Lachie Turner under his tracks on the way to the line, it was as if a rancid scab had been lifted; tries followed from all points of the park and the Crusaders looked like a mob who should be sitting well inside the top six and not battling to make the playoffs.
The Reds’ loosies Liam Gill and Adam Thomson grafted for turnovers early in the game but as the momentum swung, the tourists looked bewildered and lost.
The knee injuries to Aaron Cruden and Beauden Barrett have the potential to cause All Blacks coach Steve Hansen major discomfort in World Cup year, but watching Colin Slade beaver away so diligently at first five-eighth is like having a favourite comfort blanket at hand.
Slade has unwittingly been caught-up in the debate about whether Carter should be starting in his preferred position at No 10 and his recent performances have indicated he thrives on the controversy. His efforts in the opening stanza often had the 14,000 strong crowd rocking on their heels as they urged him to keep sniping through gaps down the righthand flank.
Slade snared the Crusaders’ second try – the first to Andy Ellis was a cracker, thanks to a rampaging run by Nadolo – when he accepted an inside ball from Carter and blasted through, and then mesmerised, the defence during a 51m run to the line.
This was also a fitting way to mark Wyatt Crockett’s recordbreaking 151 games for the Crusaders.