The Crusaders are expecting the Blues to travel to Christchurch for their Super Rugby playoff with a sense of hurt and that feeling may to extend to more than just the Aucklanders’ recent on-field humbling by the Chiefs.
The Blues needed to beat the Chiefs at the weekend to finish third and host the playoff qualifier but instead fumbled their way to a 59-34 defeat.
Losing in Hamilton against a Chiefs team guaranteed to finish second regardless and having travel to Christchurch’s wildly popular new stadium would have been bad enough but the defeat will also carry consequences for the Blues’ bottom line.
The Blues had lost only three matches by the time by played the Crusaders early last month and the franchise’s administrators would likely have been budgeting for an Eden Park playoff in front of about 25,000 fans but a loss in Christchurch tipped them into what has likely turned out to be an expensive freefall to the tune of high six figures.
The Crusaders, meanwhile, are riding high on the fifth successive sellout at a new stadium which is living up to its promise of a world-class arena.
Their coach Rob Penney said the excitement of a packed crowd probably played its part in his team losing a bit of shape in their big recent big victory over a weakened Hurricanes team and the need for more ruthless finishing would be underlined this week.
But the performances of the defending champions in winning four from four at Te Kaha has proven that the Crusaders do not necessarily need cold and slippery conditions to make the opposition pay at this time of year. Rather, a finals mentality of constant pressure can do the job just as well.
“I’m stoked to be at home… we’re looking forward to playing in front of another packed-out stadium again,” veteran hooker Codie Taylor said. “It’s a reflection of what we’ve got here now. The last few weeks have been amazing.”
Saturday afternoon’s match sold out in 20 minutes, something that would add to his team’s motivation, Penney said.
“They get the importance of the stadium and playing at home in front of their crowd,” he said. “In these tough economic times we’ve had a run of home games and people have been dipping into their pockets. We’re very appreciative of the support and how quickly the stadium sold out… I guess that adds a layer of motivation to the lads.”
The Crusaders’ revival after a poor start has coincided with the new stadium they have been waiting 15 years for.
They lost to the Highlanders in Dunedin in round one and Brumbies at home in round two – the latter a record defeat. They also lost to the Reds and Force in Australia and Blues at Eden Park.
Their surprise victory over the Chiefs in Hamilton in February clearly gave them self-belief and it has clicked since their victory over the Waratahs in the first game at their new home kicked off the Super Round over Anzac Weekend.
“It’s been an interesting season with the start we had,” Taylor said. “We had to muscle our way back and build a little momentum over the last couple of weeks.
“It’s a reflection of a lot of tough conversations – ones that were needed – and the team coming together.”
Penney said of a Blues team preparing to welcome senior lock Patrick Tuipulotu back from injury: “They’ll be hurting deeply and have some big names coming back.
“It’s the arch-enemy I guess to a large degree – the history and traditions of playing the blues has gone deep with both organisations.”
Super Rugby Pacific playoffs
Friday, 7.05pm: Hurricanes (1) v Brumbies (6) in Wellington.
Saturday, 4.35pm: Crusaders (3) v Blues (4) in Christchurch.
Saturday, 7.05pm: Chiefs (2) v Reds (5) in Hamilton.
SHARE ME