The Crusaders have backed up their first-round Super Rugby defeat with a horror show of a performance in losing 50-24 to the Brumbies today – the first time in 26 years the men from Canberra have won in Christchurch.
The defending champions, who lost to the Highlanders in Dunedin last weekend, were second best in terms of discipline, skill execution and tactical awareness and there were shades of their disastrous season in 2024 in the disjointed nature of their performance, not to mention the many times they were forced to assemble under the posts.
The Brumbies scored eight tries to the Crusaders’ four. The defeat was their second largest at home in the 30 years of the Super Rugby competition and it was the first time they have conceded 50 points since 2001.
Head coach Rob Penney would presumably have been confident of a strong second-half response after his side reached halftime facing a 19-14 deficit while playing into a strong breeze.
However, despite rarely getting into the home 22, the Brumbies made the Crusaders pay with a scintillating attacking display which left the bumbling home side in their wake.
Like last weekend, Penney left some of his big guns on the bench, and, while All Blacks hooker Codie Taylor and midfielder/wing Leicester Fainga’anuku made an immediate impact in the second half, an unwillingness to spread the ball wide, despite Fainga’anuku’s threat in the midfield, was just one of several questions that will likely feature in his team’s review.
The one time the Crusaders did spread the ball in the second half, Fainga’anuku put fellow Crusaders All Black Will Jordan into space and it resulted in a try for Sevu Reece.
Ten minutes later and Fainga’anuku was over the line himself thanks to his footwork near the line and willingness to get involved.
Penney’s team also lost the penalty count 10-5 and had a player sent to the sinbin in each half; lock Antonio Shalfoon for offside (after a team warning) and flanker Dom Gardiner for a high tackle.
Lineouts went astray and even the Crusaders’ scrum, normally a reliable penalty-winning mechanism, lacked venom.
Skipper David Havili described the performance as “frustrating”.
“We lost the breakdown again and once you get behind the Brumbies are a tough team to stop,” he said.
“There were a lot of mistakes from us.”
Few would have been happier with the result and performance than veteran Brumbies and Wallabies prop James Slipper, who scored a try on the occasion of his 200th Super Rugby match before leaving the field injured in the second half.
The home side's malaise was difficult to fathom considering their apparent willingness to make amends for last weekend's flat performance in Dunedin, and the fact the match was held on the 15th anniversary of the fatal Christchurch earthquake.
The Crusaders play only two more matches at their "temporary" stadium, which sprung up in the months after the earthquake, before moving to Te Kaha, their new central city base.
Their defeat leaves them eighth of 11 teams and with only one competition point. The Brumbies are on top of the ladder with two bonus point victories in their first two matches - just ahead of the Waratahs.
The Crusaders' next assignment is a trip to Hamilton to play the Chiefs on Saturday night.
The Chiefs were made to work for their 26-23 victory over the Highlanders last night.
The Hurricanes, who had a bye in the first round, were comfortable 52-10 winners over Moana Pasifika in Wellington but have lost first-five Brett Cameron to another knee injury.
The Blues beat the Force 42-32 in a suburban stadium in Joondalup, Perth, a venue which contributed to a pre-season feel to the match. It was the Blues' first win of the season after their round one loss to the Chiefs.
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