The nation rejoiced last night when play got underway as the Crusaders took on the Chiefs in the season opener for New Zealand franchises. Crusaders fans were NOT rejoicing 90-odd minutes later, when the final whistle blew and the Chiefs had not only won, but denied the Crusaders a bonus point.
Crusaders – Under Pressure
The 18-10 win to the Chiefs came as a surprise to some, considering the Crusaders are very hard to beat at home. But the Chiefs, reigning champions, did it and in the process exposed a few concerning areas for the Crusaders team.
The main problem for the team, I believe, can be summed up using one song title. Under Pressure. The more I watched the game last night, the louder this song played in my mind, the silent soundtrack of the game. The Crusaders were under pressure, and as a complete unit, did not cope well.
I think everyone who watched the game will agree with me when I say the biggest area of pressure came with kicks at goal. This was one area I thought the Crusaders would do well. Daniel Carter may be on sabbatical, but between Tyler Bleyendaal, Tom Taylor and Colin Slade, the Crusaders have great kicking talent. It seems it isn’t the physical talent of kicking the ball that is the problem, but more the mental talent, the ability to stay calm under pressure, being able to tune out the crowd and concentrate on the task at hand.
For the Crusaders to play the Chiefs in the opening game, it is a huge deal and guarantees an epic clash. That is probably the reason the stadium sold out, that is probably why large numbers of television spectators tuned in, it is probably also the reason that Bleyendaal choked. Of five attempts at goal he slotted zero, which means 15 points were thrown away. Tom Taylor came on at half time and did a better job than Bleyendaal, slotting two of his four kicks at goal. While a 50% success rate isn’t great, it is an improvement on 0% and leads me to my next point.
When the Crusaders team was announced on Wednesday, coach Todd Blackadder made a point of stating he had picked the team on current form, rather than experience or reputation. It made a lot of sense that it is on those criteria he would pick his starting 15, but after last night, I have to wonder if it is the right way to go about it. When the more experienced Taylor came on, the Crusaders performance improved, and whether or not Bleyendaal has been in better form than Taylor, Taylor’s experience was of benefit to the team. He got the job done.
Or at least better than Bleyendaal did, anyway.
What this shows us is that there is something to be said for experience and reputation, because when it comes down to close games, experience is vital. On the flip side, you obviously want 15 guys on your team (and six on the bench) who deserve to be on the field because of their current form. Striking the right balance between form and experience is so important, and it must be a hard balance to get right. Perhaps when considering ‘best form’, coaches should consider mental form, as well as physical? Is it worth it to play 15 guys who are physically playing well, but who mentally are unable to stay as focused and calm as other players who are not playing as well on a physical level?
Composure under pressure can be the difference between a win and a loss. Or in the case of the Crusaders on Friday night, being composed while under pressure and kicking goals, can be the difference between a win and a loss.
The loss was by no means just down to the kicking success rate of Bleyendaal or Taylor, but when a team loses, it is often the goal kickers who are put under the most scrutiny. I think all rugby fans acknowledge players can have bad days, just like the rest of us mere mortals, and I am sure that in weeks to come, Bleyendaal and Taylor will both impress with their undeniable skill!
There were, of course, a couple of positives to come out of the game against the Chiefs. The first was the combination of Nafi Tuitavake and Reynold Lee-Lo, who showed some promising signs that with more game time, they can be a combination to fear. Both have fast feet, both made some excellent offloads, and whenever you saw one, the other was very close in support. I for one am looking forward to seeing this 11/13 combination developing and improve as the season progresses.
Last week I wrote about the battle between Richie McCaw and Matt Todd, for the Crusaders number 7 jersey. This week saw McCaw starting at 7, with Todd on the bench. With half an hour left on the clock, Todd replaced George Whitelock, with McCaw moving to 6 and Todd slotting in at 7. What a revelation that was! Almost immediately the forward pack seemed to work more cohesively together, and began to dominate more with the ball in hand, as well as defensively. McCaw and Todd worked well together, both getting a lot of ball, making some big tackles, and in the case of Todd, gaining a lot of metres with the ball in hand. I am by no means a mind-reader, but I have a feeling next weekend will see McCaw and Todd BOTH being named in the starting 15.
As we continue on this Super Rugby journey together, you will realise that although I hate maths, I LOVE rugby statistics, so I will leave you with this little tidbit from Friday’s game…
Curious about how many metres Todd actually made, I checked out the Fox Sport ‘Super Rugby Match Centre’, to see how many he had made. I then checked out the top five players, with the most metres made. Those top five in order of metres made were Tuitavake (112), Ryan Crotty (83), Todd (72), Israel Dagg (71) and Lee-Lo (8.5). Averaged out, it was Todd who came out on top, with an average of 18 metres made per run, almost seven metres more than the next closest, Tuitavake (11.2).
Some rugby food for thought for your weekend!
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Main Photo Credit: Canterbury Crusaders via Photosport
