A day after the Crusaders discovered they wouldn’t make the Super Rugby Pacific playoffs, the franchise refused to confirm that head coach Rob Penney will be retained for the final season of his contract.
The defending champions, who won seven titles in a row under previous head coach Scott Robertson, gave themselves a slim chance of qualifying by thrashing Moana Pasifika 43-10 in Christchurch on Friday but watched yesterday as the Fijian Drua prevented them from making the top eight by beating the Rebels 40-19 in Lautoka.
In an extraordinary run of events for a club known for its consistency and excellence, the Crusaders finished in ninth place – one spot behind a Rebels side who lost their last six games and who won’t take part in next year’s competition because they’re a financial basket case.
The Crusaders won only four of 14 games this season. All their wins came in Christchurch, and two occurred over the past fortnight, including a meritorious result against the Blues. They also beat the Rebels and Chiefs.
It is their worst season since 1996 – the year the competition started – and it represents a huge collapse for a franchise which built a reputation for resilience during some tough times in Canterbury over the past decade, including during the earthquakes of 2011.
Penney, the former Canterbury coach, was brought in on a two-year deal on the assumption he would pave the way for Tamati Ellison to take over in 2026 but those plans were dashed by a season characterised by inconsistency, including what will be a worrying lack of quality.
Given all that, it's difficult to see how the Crusaders could make a case for him to be retained but chief executive Colin Mansbridge today wouldn't commit either way, saying a decision would be made after a review which would include input from players, as usual.
Mansbridge said: “We’ll do the review. We’ll make sure it’s a quality review. It will be performance focused and focused on what we can do better. We won’t be scapegoating anyone, and we won’t be making any knee-jerk reactions.”
1News understands several senior players were dissatisfied with Penney’s performance, including his selection inconsistency.
Mansbridge today confirmed the opinions of the senior players would likely carry more weight than others.
“All the players will have a say. Some of the more senior players will obviously have an opportunity to expand on [their answers].”
He added: “We haven’t got their formal feedback but it’s fair to say they’re disappointed and frustrated.”
When asked about selection grumbles, he said: “Players have expressed frustration with selection. It’s not unknown. Every year we’ve had frustration with selections and sometimes from senior players.”
Penney’s review will likely include his relations with the media after his use of foul language following a recent press conference before the victory over the Blues when he was forced to defend his team’s performances.
The spotlight will also likely be put on the Crusaders’ pre-season tour to Ireland and England, where they lost to Munster and beat Bristol.
Asked whether a similar tour was likely in the short term, Mansbridge said he would “think long and hard about another pre-season tour to Europe”.
Asked to summarise the season, Mansbridge replied: “Disappointing. You can explain away margins and things like that but it’s disappointing.”
At the other end of the table, the Hurricanes finished the top seed after thrashing the Highlanders 41-14 in Wellington and will host the Rebels in their quarter-final.
The Blues failed to hold on to top spot despite beating the Chiefs 31-17 and will host the Drua in their quarter-final.
The Brumbies will host the Highlanders in their playoff match, with the Chiefs hosting the Reds in the other.
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