The Crusaders v Blues game in Christchurch was always going to shine a spotlight on those in the All Blacks frame hoping to make the trip to France for the World Cup.
And while a 15-3 defeat for the visitors doesn’t appear to be comprehensive, in reality it was.
They were beaten all over the park – in the contact areas, breakdown, set piece and to a large extent strategically as Beauden Barrett couldn’t get into the match until the final quarter. Before that they kicked too often and too poorly.
It was only the Blues’ defence which kept them in a game notable for its intensity in front of a sell-out crowd.
Interest in Super Rugby may be waning in some quarters but Crusaders' fans know what they like – derbies against quality opposition, especially at this time of year when their side approach top speed towards the run in - and they and the Crusaders responded.
The Blues, hindered by Dalton Papali’i’s red card for a high tackle on Richie Mo’unga, did not, and it’s in pivotal matches such as these, along with the playoffs, that Ian Foster and company will be most interested in the performances of those on the fringes of his All Black squad.
The Crusaders’ win allowed them to leapfrog the Blues into third position on the table (the Brumbies may overtake them this afternoon should they beat the Highlanders in Canberra) and the visitors’ pack containing All Black hopefuls Papali’i, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Patrick Tuipulotu and Akira Ioane (when he came off the bench, later than expected due to his skipper’s red card, for his 100th match), appeared almost powerless to stop them.
With Mo’unga and the excellent David Havili and Leicester Fainga’anuku on the front foot on both sides of the ball, Beauden Barrett and his major strike weapons Rieko Ioane, Mark Telea, Caleb Clarke and Zarn Sullivan were starved of time and space and hardly fired an offensive shot.
One wonders whether Leon MacDonald regretted not taking Roger Tuivasa-Sheck to Christchurch given the Blues' lack of penetration in the midfield.
Jack Goodhue’s cameo off the bench in the midfield was a reminder of his quality but of all the backs on the park it was probably Havili and Fainga’anuku who made the biggest impacts.
Havili was utterly committed as usual and his close working relationship with Mo’unga is a huge advantage for the Crusaders as they seek to defend their title after some early-season inconsistency.
If anything, Fainga’anuku, who has scored 10 tries this season (equal with the Chiefs’ Shaun Stevenson), appears quicker than in 2022 when he made his All Blacks debut.
"Winning was off the back of a lot of carrying the ball," coach Scott Robertson said afterwards. "We didn't want to do too much defending, we wanted to make them tackle and they did."
The Chiefs’ surprise defeat to the Reds in New Plymouth probably won’t change the complexion of the competition – they are still almost certain to be the top seeds.
But the way the Crusaders dismantled the Blues last night – just as they did in last year’s grand final – suggests they will again be extremely difficult to beat in the playoffs.
Their big players are standing up under the pressure – unfortunately for the Blues that didn’t apply to them in Christchurch.
SHARE ME