So far in the 2014 Super Rugby season the Canterbury Crusaders have recorded a total of two wins from their five games played.
This past weekend they couldn’t hold on long enough to beat the Hurricanes and experienced one of their most bitter defeats of the season. It is clear that something is wrong at Crusaders HQ, so rather than focus on that, I am going to try and punctuate the positives from that game… because win or lose, I am behind my team!
First of all, I need to mention the performance of hooker Ben Funnell. I love this new ‘brand’ of hooker that is coming through now, capable of running, kicking, stepping and scoring tries. Funnell showed the depth of his skill set on Friday night, alongside the typical hooker-role, he also made a couple of fantastic runs, as well as a hefty (and very un-hooker-like) kick from inside the Crusaders’ 22-metre line down to the Hurricanes’ 22.
With Corey Flynn out injured, Funnell is going to need to focus hard on his game because the Crusaders NEED him to do well. They NEED more performances from him, like the one he gave on Friday night.
Andy Ellis is another player who performed well. From the first whistle Ellis played a very physical game, which is important when playing a side like the Hurricanes. It could be said that Ellis displayed a bit of ‘mongrel’, that aggression and dominance that seems to be missing from the Crusaders this season. It isn’t to say he went around being violent, but simply that he stood his ground, and to throw around an old cliché, he gave as good as he got.
Ellis, as he so often does, played a pivotal role in the first of the Crusaders tries, making the initial pass to Ryan Crotty (of #beardofawesome fame), who then kicked the ball downfield and it was Johnny McNicholl who eventually dotted down.
McNicholl deserves a mention purely because he scored two of the Crusaders three tries by himself, always a feat that should be acknowledged! While McNicholl is improving – and impressing – week by week on attack, there is still something missing from him when it comes to defensive play. Being good on attack can get your team tries but lacking on defense can get the other team tries, and that can cost your team the game.
Still, McNicholl is one of the best attacking backs we have playing at the moment and there is no doubt he made a very positive impact to the team on Friday night.
As touched on earlier, it was consistent performer Crotty, who made the kick which resulted in one of McNicholl’s tries. In a year of more downs than ups, Crotty has been one of the only ups for the Crusaders.
Every week he is dominant on both attack and defense, with his name being heard multiple times during the game, whether he has made a run, forced a turnover, scored a try or slotted a kick perfectly down field. At this point in time, Crotty seems to be the glue holding the Crusaders backs together, and along with a couple more players, the glue holding the entire team together.
If Crotty is the glue that holds the backs together, then in the same sense, Matt Todd is the glue that is holding the forwards together. For a player who lives in the shadow of Richie McCaw, Todd is having a chance to put his hand up and say ‘hey, I deserve this jersey just as much as McCaw’. He moves around the field with the speed of a back, going from breakdown to breakdown, and making tackle after tackle.
Currently, Matt Todd is the leading tackle maker for the Crusaders, and has had the highest tackle count in each of the three (full) 80 minute games he has played in. Regardless of the Crusaders performance as a team, Todd is standing up and being noticed, something which will hopefully see him back in the All Black jersey later this year.
One final good thing that came out of the Hurricanes game, is that Nemani Nadolo FINALLY got some decent game time, coming on in the second half. BUT. He needs to be given a start, he needs to be given the chance to show what he can really do, because 20 minutes at the end of the game doesn’t give him the opportunity to do that to the best of his abilities.
I would understand him not being given a start if the regular wingers were doing a splendid job. But let’s face it, they’re not doing enough to put their names on the #11 and #14 jerseys, and Nadolo deserves a chance to prove his worth. He did make an impact when he came on, there was a glimpse of what he is capable of, and it seems like cruel and unusual punishment to not give him that chance.
On a final note, Zac Guildford finally got a start last week! Great news, right?
Right! Except for the fact it was for his Napier Tech club rugby team! Yes, Zac has been given special dispensation to go home to Napier and play for Napier Tech for a few weeks. This hardly says ‘Zac is in the Canterbury Crusaders fold’ and at this stage, one has to wonder whether he will get any time in the Crusaders jersey this year, before heading over to France to play for Clermont.
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