Crusaders singing in the rain Masterclass in tackling seals gutsy semifinal win
Black Caps’ test menu unchanged, says White
The game made in heaven? This Super Rugby Pacific semifinal was more like a brawl between two sets of cranky super heavyweight boxers slugging it out in hell as the rain fell in Christchurch last night.
In the end it was the Crusaders who prevailed 20-7 over the Chiefs, having slugged it out in a dramatic and uncompromising battle in front of about 15,000 fans at Orangetheory Stadium.
The Crusaders have earned the right to meet either the Blues or Brumbies in the final next weekend, but first they will need to soak their aching bones in ice baths to rid their bodies of the dark memories of this rugged clash.
This was sudden-death footy at its best: tough, gnarly and loaded with plenty of talking points.
Remarkably, neither side could score any point in the second half.
Here’s one topic that’s sure to be discussed in the days to come: The Crusaders made almost 222 tackles compared to the Chiefs’ 115.
For the Crusaders it began on a dour note, with veteran All Blacks lock Sam Whitelock withdrawing from the contest before kickoff because of a thumb injury, replaced by rookie Zach Gallagher.
It wasn’t to get much better on the field, either; loose forward Pablo Matera was red carded in the 33rd minute after referee Nic Berry issued him with his second yellow card.
Both were fair, there could be no griping from Crusaders fans; Matera copped the first card for repeated infringements from his team, and the second was a result of taking Chiefs
The Black Caps won’t be playing fewer tests in the coming years, despite a warning over test cricket’s future from ICC chair Greg Barclay.
The New Zealander recently told the BBC that ‘‘it may well be that there’s less test cricket, and some countries will just have to make room and play less test cricket’’ when referring to the crowded men’s cricketing schedule.
However, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) chief executive David White said the test menu for the Black Caps would continue as it has for the last seven or eight years.
However, there are no plans for the White Ferns women’s team to play test cricket in the immediate future.
‘‘Over the next five years, we average about nine test matches a year, home and away, which is pretty much normal for us,’’ White said.
‘‘The number of test matches we’re going to play is not going to reduce at all.’’
NZC is set to announce later this month that the Black Caps will play four home tests in the 2023 summer, two against Sri Lanka and two versus England. India will also tour before the end of the year to play three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 matches.
‘‘I think what Greg [Barclay] was saying is with things getting more congested is that there is now going to be an annual ICC event.
‘‘So having an ICC event every year, along with a number of countries having their own leagues, does congest the window.
‘‘But it doesn’t really impact on us [in terms of tests]; we’ll still have four or five at home per year.’’
The men’s ICC events will be a one-day World Cup in India in 2023, the T20 World Cup hosted by the United States and West Indies in 2024, a Champions Trophy ODI tournament in Pakistan in 2025 and the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
White said interest in test cricket was still high, despite the increasing proliferation and expansion of domestic T20 leagues and their influence on the international game.
The current Black Caps side touring England had five members playing in the Indian Premier League prior to the start of the three-test series, with leading bowler Trent Boult only arriving in England just days before the first test loss at Lord’s after playing in the final.
‘‘We have noticed – and been pleased – that the test match following we’ve had over the last
David White NZ Cricket CEO
couple of seasons has gone up. It’s been really good. It’s been really well-received on Spark [Sport],’’ White said.
‘‘That has been assisted by how well the team has played, of course.
‘‘There is almost a bit of resurgence in test cricket commercially, I think. People being able to access it digitally has certainly made it more accessible to our fans at home, and the numbers have been very encouraging.’’
White said while the ‘Big Three’ of India, England and Australia were still the best commercial drawcards for test cricket for New Zealand, South Africa was also important.
‘‘South Africa is big for us too – it’s big for us commercially, the broadcast arrangements we have in South Africa are very important as well.’’
White said NZ Cricket’s broadcast deal with Spark Sport, which began in 2020 and gave the digital platform the rights to all home matches played by the Black Cap and White Ferns in NZ, has been ‘‘really encouraging’’.
‘‘Of course it’s complicated by Covid – getting teams into the country has been a challenge.
‘‘I think the combination of Spark and the amount of free-to-air that we’ve had both for international cricket and the Super Smash, we’ve seen tremendous numbers.’’
The current test series in England is being broadcast by Spark while other overseas games for the national side are often on Sky TV, with companies able to bid for the rights to the hosting boards.
That angers a number of Kiwi cricket fans who get upset at the need to pay two subscription fees to view all Black Caps and White Ferns games throughout the year, but White said it was the result of a competitive market and how sport is viewed worldwide.
‘‘I think it’s the way of the world now, it’s the way we consume content ourselves, with Netflix TVNZ On Demand ... For a long time we had a monopoly by one provider; now what we’re experiencing in New Zealand is what happens around the rest of the world, where you’ve got a number of providers. It’s a competitive market and people bid for different content.’’
White said an increasingly busy women’s international schedule of T20 and ODI matches was one reason why it’s highly unlikely the national women’s side will play their first test since 2004.
‘‘To give it context, over the next month or two, the ICC is going to announce a Future Tours Programme for the women’s game, from 2023-2027.
‘‘There’s going to be an annual ICC event for the women as well – that’s a lot of cricket.’’
White said an Indian Premier League T20 tournament for women is imminent, which is bound to involve some members of the White Ferns.
‘‘And to play long-form [international] cricket for the women without a domestic base, it doesn’t follow logic. In the short-term it’s not a priority of NZC.’’
New Zealand’s plans of levelling the three-test cricket series against England have been thrown into chaos, with captain Kane Williamson ruled out of the second test after contracting Covid-19 in Nottingham.
Williamson tested positive after dinner on test eve, having conducted his pre-test media conference earlier in the day.
Williamson undertook a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) after experiencing minor symptoms during the day and will now begin five days of isolation.
The rest of the touring party returned negative RATs and will continue following the tour health protocols of symptom reporting and subsequent testing if required, NZ Cricket said.
No 10 Bryn Gatland too high in a tackle.
Not that the Chiefs were saints. Midfielder Quinn Tupaea was earlier found guilty of whacking Matera in the head with a shoulder, perhaps unfortunate he had also dropped his body height prior to contact, but it was an indicator of the wild scenes that were to follow.
Both teams wanted to cause chaos in defence – and the home side was certainly made to work like madmen in that department.
In the first half they had to make 137 tackles to the visitors’ 45 – and still led 20-7 at halftime.
Chiefs coach Clayton McMillian must have looked at those numbers and been tempted to reboot his computer because, usually, when a team is forced to tackle for long periods their legs turn to rubber.
Instead the Crusaders No 8 Cullen Grace logged two tries – both when Matera was in the cooler – with playmaker Richie Mo’unga toppingup the account with two conversions and two penalties.
The Chiefs counter-punched with a converted try to prop Angus Ta’avao, but discipline was an issue. They had conceded nine penalties to the Crusaders’ three by halftime and Berry kept up his merry tune on the whistle as the minutes ticked over in the second spell. Execution also let the Chiefs down at crucial moments.
No 8 Pita Gus Sowakula lost the ball over the try line in the first quarter, and after halftime a wonky pass to an unmarked Alex Nankivell denied him a certain five-pointer. McMillian unloaded All Blacks No 7 Sam Cane from the bench in the second half, but it continued to be tough going for the raiders from up north as the Crusaders defence remained tight and frustrated them into making errors.
This was the Crusaders’ night. A deserved win for many reasons. The tackle count says it all.
The big moment
Look at the Crusaders’ defence for your answer. It was outstanding.
Match rating 8.5/10
Had plenty to keep viewers interested. Isn’t that what the game is about? Even with all the breaks TMOs and injuries - it was a gem of a game.
‘‘The number of test matches we’re going to play is not going to reduce at all.’’