Clinical Crusaders too good for Brumbies in Canberra

No-one could say the Crusaders are a generous lot.

Not when pride, competition points and trans-tasman bragging rights were at stake, as was the case before they marched into GIO Stadium at Canberra to beat the Brumbies 37-26 on Friday night.

This encounter at GIO Stadium was billed as a collision of Super Rugby Pacific’s giants, a fair advertisement given the Brumbies had beaten the Chiefs, Hurricanes and Highlanders in previous weeks, but the Crusaders were in no mood to become their fourth New Zealand victim in as many weeks.

It was almost as if coach Scott Robertson had instructed his Crusaders players to invite the Brumbies to have a look into the inner-workings of the machine and when they did, they couldn’t stomach staring at the screaming, grinding cogs that throb under the bonnet.

The Crusaders didn’t start well, they conceded an early try to Brumbies midfielder Irae Simone in the fourth minute, but that just seemed to anger then; Codie Taylor and Sevu Reece scored tries in the first half, with Richie Mo’unga banging over the conversions and three penalties in the first spell to bring up 1000 points in Super Rugby.

Ahead 23-5 at the break, the Crusaders trotted to the sheds knowing they could win this if they kept using the tool that frightens all their opponents when they get their execution right: physicality.

The beauty of this Crusaders effort was how their forwards did their best to imitate low flying gliders in the moment before they crashed into the rucks.

Low, fast and seemingly without any concern for their own health and safety, the Kiwis’ body position was excellent as they bashed their way into the Aussies.