Analysis: New Crusaders coach Rob Penney knew he faced a rebuilding job - Will Jordan's shoulder surgery means it just got tougher, writes Patrick McKendry.
New Crusaders coach Rob Penney’s goal of continuing his franchise’s dynasty started by understudy Scott Robertson has just got more difficult.
Will Jordan’s season-ending shoulder injury which requires surgery robs the defending champions of their top strike weapon, one that has scored 38 tries in 52 Super Rugby matches (he has an even more remarkable 31 tries in 31 Tests), statistics that don’t count his assists or fully explain the threat he poses from fullback or wing.
It’s Jordan’s talent for making things happen that sets him apart. He’s not just a finisher, although he’s also extremely good at that due to his pace and handling skills. It's his almost supernatural awareness and knack for doing the right thing at the right time which makes him one of the best outside backs in the world, as evidenced in France last year.
Jordan’s ability under the high ball was also a key factor in the Crusaders’ championship run which began in 2017 and which he joined two years later.
Having craved the Crusaders job for more than a decade, Penney, a huge influence on Robertson after employing him as his part-time assistant Canterbury in 2008, will coach a team in the Super Rugby Pacific opener against the Chiefs in Hamilton on Friday with a very different looking backline.
There is no Richie Mo’unga, one of the most influential players in the competition’s history, no blockbusting wing Leicester Fainga’anuku, no experienced midfielder Jack Goodhue and no Leigh Halfpenny, their star fullback signing from Wales.
Mo’unga, Fainga’anuku and Goodhue are playing overseas, but Halfpenny (chest injury) was a high-profile casualty in the Crusaders’ pre-season game at Munster.
Loose forward Ethan Blackadder is also out for several weeks at least due to a calf problem.
It’s no wonder the Chiefs, last year’s beaten finalists against the Crusaders at Waikato Stadium, have firmed as favourites for Friday’s game. Before the Jordan confirmation the home side were paying $1.60 to win. Now they are $1.52.
The Crusaders rallied superbly last season to overcome their horror injury toll: eight of their All Blacks were unavailable for their home semifinal against the Blues. It’s fair to say they did okay in running up six tries, including one from Jordan of course, in a 52-15 shutout.
And as has become traditional at the business end of the season, their pack got them home in a final played with rare intensity by both them and the Chiefs, a converted Codie Taylor try with eight minutes remaining (following Sam Cane’s yellow card), getting them home in a 25-20 win.
They will again present a formidable pack but the loss of Sam Whitelock’s experience – he’s also overseas – may prove critical.
Now Penney must find a replacement fullback – he is unlikely to want to put converted midfielder David Havili or 23-year-old outside back Chay Fihaki in the No.15 jersey – as he attempts to find a winning formula with two inexperienced first-five options.
Rivez Reihana, 23, or Taha Kemara, 20, are Penney’s choices in the absence of Canterbury first-five Fergus Burke until April due to an Achilles injury.
Both Reihana, a former Chief, and Kemara, a Waikato player, have roots in Mooloo country. It would be some homecoming if they could engineer a victory for the Crusaders given the latest developments at their Christchurch headquarters.
Fans of opposition teams are unlikely to have much sympathy for the Crusaders’ ongoing injury woes given their status as easily the most successful franchise in Super Rugby history with 12 "official" titles (not counting Super Rugby Aotearoa in 2020 and 2021). For comparison, the Blues have won three, the Chiefs two, and the Hurricanes and Highlanders one each.
But the competition has just been robbed of one of its brightest stars and most should appreciate that and the probability that it will be poorer for it.
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