In the small hours of Sunday morning (New Zealand time) the Crusaders defied the odds and won their second game in a row in South Africa. It was the first time since April 2012 – when the Chiefs beat the Cheetahs and Sharks – that an away team has won two from two in South Africa.
Already people are trying to down play the significance of what the Crusaders accomplished, by pointing out they played two of the worst performing South African teams (Lions and Cheetahs), and that if they had played the Bulls and Sharks, it would have been a different story.
I, for one, do not believe this.
It has taken a lot longer than usual, but it seems the Crusaders are finally getting their season on track and are beginning to play more like they are expected to because of the legacy left by past Crusaders teams and performing like the Red and Black of old.
What was possibly the most encouraging thing about the Crusaders 52-31 win over the Cheetahs was Colin Slade’s performance. For the first time since re-joining the franchise, Slade had a fairly complete game for the team and reminded the New Zealand rugby public exactly why he was such a big name back before injury after injury after injury forced him out of the spotlight.
On attack Slade was powerful and fast, making line breaks, helping set up tries, as well as scoring his own try in the second half. Defensively, Slade tackled well and did a good job of directing the back line. His kicking was impressive, successfully slotting eight from ten shots at goal, giving him a personal total of 25 points in the game. It would appear that having an injury-free streak has done wonders for Slade’s consistency… long may it continue. Touch wood.
The backs in general were impressive, and it seems the coaching staff have FINALLY found their starting midfield combination in Ryan Crotty and Kieron Fonotia… it is just a pity that Fonotia is now out with injury!
Nemani Nadolo made the most of his start on the wing and ran in three tries during his 80 minutes on the field. Fans were witness to the speed and power Nadolo is known for, and for once the Crusaders outside backs looked threatening.
Matt Todd gave another solid performance in the #7 jersey, setting up two tries in the process. The first was a perfectly placed grubber kick which led to Israel Dagg’s try, the second an offload to Tom Taylor who then scored. Todd was committed at the breakdown, getting a couple of turnovers in the process. Todd Blackadder alluded to Todd’s performance, saying in an interview “Todd was the glue that kept the team together” (The Press, April 14 2014).
It now appears that with Richie McCaw due back in a couple of weeks, Blackadder is again in the position of having to decide how and where to best utilise Todd and McCaw. It is possible that Todd is going to keep his place in the #7 jersey though, with Blackadder commenting in the same interview that “Matt Todd is playing so well it would be hard to deny him a starting spot on his form and also, too, Richie has played in other positions before in the past”. Maybe we will see McCaw on the blindside and Todd on the openside, a combination which there has been a lot of excitement about in recent history.
In earlier games this season the Crusaders were at their best during the 20-60 minute period of play, but against the Cheetahs the Crusaders had a very strong last 20 minutes. A strong final 20 was something that used to make the Crusaders such a threat to other teams, and to see them finishing off in this fashion against the Cheetahs was encouraging.
Not only did they overpower the opposition in that final 20, they also added 21 points to their final points tally by running in three converted tries in the last eight minutes of the game.
Now home from South Africa the Crusaders face the hard task of playing the Chiefs at Waikato Stadium… possibly one of the hardest away games for a team to win. The game could go either way, travel could catch up on the Crusaders and cause them to put in a lacklustre effort, OR their new found confidence and the desire to prove their critics wrong could lead to a blinder of a game for the Crusaders.
The Chiefs are also a team with something to prove, after going winless in South Africa and then coming close to losing against the Rebels last weekend… I find it hard to imagine they will go out there and play anything but their hardest.
One thing is for sure, this weekend one team with something to prove WILL prove their critics wrong… and for the other it will be back to the drawing board to try and do what they can to salvage their season. I only hope the Crusaders aren’t the team in the ‘back to the drawing board’ category, come Sunday morning.
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