With one round remaining, the Crusaders have all but secured second place heading into Super Rugby Pacific’s playoffs but injuries to loose forward Cullen Grace and key midfielder David Havili have taken the shine off their 42-18 bonus point victory over the Waratahs yesterday.
Grace left the Orangetheory Stadium pitch in the opening minutes with a knee injury, with Havili limping off in the second half with a hamstring problem.
Both are highly unlikely for their side’s final round-robin match against the Hurricanes in Wellington next Saturday and for their home quarter-final the following week.
“Yeah, it does put a damper on things,” coach Scott Robertson said afterwards.
Grace’s absence will be alleviated by the imminent return of Ethan Blackadder, who has recovered from a calf injury, and while Dallas McLeod and Jack Goodhue are options at No.12, Havili was in good form in combination with playmaker Richie Mo’unga.
While the result was never in doubt as the Crusaders dictated terms via their pack, which included a dramatic return to the competition for veteran John Afoa, the Crusaders’ bonus point was hard fought.
Needing to win by three tries, the extra point was in the bag until the Waratahs scored with five minutes to go but there was a sense of inevitability about proceedings when the Crusaders were awarded an attacking penalty in the final minutes and kicked for the corner.
Impressive loose forward Sione Havili Talitui scored from the resulting lineout maul to restore his team’s advantage.
“We couldn't quite get our rhythm,” Robertson said. “We had a lot of opportunities and the last pass didn't go our way, then you top that off with a couple of injuries, and it's tough. It's hard to say it's a good win when you've got injuries, but you definitely take it and hopefully the boys are only a couple of weeks out."
Mo’unga didn’t miss a kick at goal and showed flashes of brilliance at No.10, with lock Sam Whitelock making an extremely impressive comeback from injury. Leicester Fainga’anuku was at his blockbusting best.
The Crusaders need only a losing bonus point against the Hurricanes to qualify second and secure a potential home semifinal but Robertson said it was important to maintain momentum.
“We've got to get a bit of cohesion, we've got to get guys game time together, we've had our chance to freshen the group up. We’ll look at the leaderboard, but we’ll actually look what our team needs,” he said.
Of Afoa, the almost 40-year-old former Blues prop who last played in this competition a decade ago and has travelled back from France to answer the Crusaders’ plea to provide front row cover, Robertson said: “Oh, that’s special, isn’t it? He didn't hesitate when we contacted him. When you go around the grounds, and I went around the grounds worldwide, to find someone we knew was a good scrummaging prop, experienced, available."
In starting the match, Afoa became the oldest Super Rugby player in history.
“There's not many experienced props," Robertson said. "When you look at New Zealand rugby, and you're down to this, it's a concern. But I don't want to take away from a good story.”
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