Praise of the Crusaders

Having started the season with just a win in the first five rounds, no one expected the Crusaders to be able to claim a spot in the top four. Having suffered cruel injuries to almost any senior player (Franks, McCaw, MacDonald, Thorn, Ellis, Laulala...) early in the season, what were the real chances of the Crusaders to make way through to the semis?

Todd Blackadder's team has been able to do so. Youngsters like Colin Slade or Ryan Crotty have been inmense. Veterans like Kieran Read have glued the team together. And wins over every major foe (and a sole loss to the Cheetahs) in the last 8 weeks have put them where we all wanted them to be.

Congratulations, Crusaders. Robbie Deans has spoken of the resilience of the Brumbies. Fighting against everything to keep their hopes alive. He has not spoken of you, guys, who have done as well as the Brumbies until round 13, and have bettered what the Brumbies achieved in the last round.

Now, how valuable was the last-second goal kick by Leon MacDonald against the Cheetahs? Or how much is worth the fourth try scored against the Hurricanes in Christchurch?

Wonderful job, boys. And remember you have already beaten the Bulls this season.

Yes! I made a mistake!

Sure! Wonderful thing that I totally missunderstood the Crusaders - Bulls game. I thought the Bulls would go on to win the game in the latter stages...

But Brett's kicking and drop goaling was enough to tame the Bulls.

4 ugly points are still 4 points. Even for the exquisite rugby standards of Canterbury.

Congratulations, guys.

Crusaders 16 - Bulls 13

A little help for the Crusaders

The Crusaders are the Super team. They have the tradition, they have the passion and they have the winning attitude.

What they may be lacking is luck.

Forced absences: Robbie Deans, Daniel Carter, Scott Hamilton, Greg Sommerville, Mose Tu'iali and Ali Williams.

"Bad-luck added absences": Leon MacDonald, Andy Ellis, Brad Thorn, Corey Flynn.
Besides, a number of other senior players, most notably Richie McCaw, have not featured in at least one game due to injury.

And after this long list, their brave coach, takes it on the chin and says that it is due to their own errors (mostly at goal kicking, where Colin Slade is 4 from 11 and Brett is 2 from 4) that they have lost against Brumbies and Hurricanes.

The Crusaders are an amazing team; no doubt I will pick them for five points against my beloved Highlanders next week and perhaps they will cement their position on the upper part of the ranks.

But one bad news at a time, please; injuries to Flynn, Ellis, Thorn and MacDonald seem a plot against them.

Not my team, but a team that I admire; may goddess Nikhé smile upon them again.

NZRU: How to destroy a franchise

Say you have the most successful franchise in history. Say that, for whatever reason, you want to destroy it. What steps would you take?

First, the coach should leave. Leave no chance to your coach to stay in your franchise.

Second, give your star player a year off.

Third, cut one of the two provincial unions that feed this franchise off so you drain the flow of players into the franchise.

Can Canterbury face Wellington, Taranaki, Manawatu and Hawkes Bay at the same time? I guess next season I will be cheering the Crusaders more than ever.

Crusaders are 2008 Champions

And Robbie Deans heads to Australia with the end he deserves. Crusaders players were uttering:

"Robbie, Robbie, Robbie: oi, oi, oi!!!!"

which is a certainly funny thing to wish him good luck in the future.

Congratulations, Crusaders. And Farewell, Deans!

Super 14 final: Crusaders - Waratahs

The Crusaders and the Waratahs have shown just what the regular season suggested, that they are the best teams as both teams have made the final with certain ease.


It is going to be a very special game for Robbie Deans, who will try to leave the Crusaders with a last win, at home, in Christchurch.



Crusaders 33 - Hurricanes 22
Waratahs 28 - Sharks 13

Crusaders vs Blues: That's why I like rugby

A game like the one these two monter teams played yesterday is my reason to love rugby. The game was one of the best I have witnessed, with the Blues adding the spice and the Crusaders the efectiveness.

The Crusaders won at last and managed to get a bonus point, while the Blues have plenty of opportunities to cross the line which were spoiled by inches (and a ferocious Crusaders defense). The Blues won't get to the semifinals, but they have a lot of things to be pleased. Their rugby is spectacular, and if only they could retain Nacewa (much better playing at first five) and Evans, next year they will surely rock. On the other hand, few teams look good enough for these Crusaders and I don't think anyone can stop them in their run for their (seventh?) super title.

Just one last thing. The Crusaders have shown a quality that I thought it only belonged to the SA sides, which is, capitalising from opponent's errors. It would be the best thing to export to the All Blacks, who in my opinion, are far more similar to the Blues than they are to the Crusaders.

First warning to the Crusaders

If ever the Crusaders followers, staff and players thought it to be easy, they should, as well as the Sharks, be really aware of how thin is the edge between the success and the downwards-spiral that the Blues are facing.

We all know that the Crusaders were ripe to lose. We all knew that the Chiefs are on fire...

But what we all expect now is the Crusaders to stand and show that their muscle is still the strongest.

Beware, Crusaders. This is the first warning.

Super 14's fourth round

In short: the Sharks defeated the Blues.

A bit more ellaborated: Electrical start and astounding effort by the Sharks at the breakdown gives them the victory over a good Blues side. The Crusaders won and are leaders.

A bigger overview: Round four featured the clash of two of the three undefeated teams. After an impressive first ten minutes, the Sharks were leading 12-0 and their ability at the breakdown set it 19-0 before the Blues scored a penalty go to make it 19-3 at halftime. In the second half the Blues tried hard but the Sharks were again superb in defense and at the breakdown and only by a miracle, they didn't get a bonus point. The Blues looked close to it, to come back but at the end the game only lasted 80 minutes and the Sharks won. Both teams were brilliant. The Crusaders suffered to win at Perth, the Waratahs contested and triumphed against the Brumbies for the best aussie team and the Hurricanes extended their winning strike to three games against the Highlanders.

It was a nice round but for the loss of the Blues. The loss, however, is not a bitter defeat. It's the defeat of a team that offers signs that will get better and better. The breakdown is the area that needs more improvement, whereas the physical condition of the team is perhaps the best of the competition. The Crusaders are a very very very serious team and their bonus-point victory at Perth is going to give Carter and co some real under-pressure minutes to build. The Sharks seem to have less talent than the two New Zealand sides but to handle it very wisely.

Blues, Crusaders and Sharks on top of table

With 3 wins out of 3 matches, Blues, Crusaders and Sharks are still the leaders of the Super 14 with the only difference between them being the four-tries bonus points gathered: three for the Blues, two for the Blues and one for the Sharks.

After their 3rd-week victories, the Hurricanes and the Brumbies have looked impressive and seem the main threat for the 3 above.

French first five eighths Frederic Michalak (he destroyed us oming off the bench on October the 6th) seems to have perfectly found his place in the South African team, and has scored for second straight week. Meanwhile, Blues backs Rocokoco and Toeava had a monster day against the Cheetahs, and certainly the Blues are the top scorer team with 45,7 points per game and top try scoring team with an average of 6 tries per game. On the other hand, the Crusaders have only allowed their oponents 7 points per game.

On the opposite side are the Highlanders. The Otago franchise failed, for third straight week, to gather a win. While young Vainikolo looks certainly promising, it is the more experienced players of the team the ones who have to step up. Next week Dunedin will host the Hurricanes in a must-win game for the Highlanders.

Crusaders outplay Bulls

19-54 is not the score you exactly would expect to get in an away game against the defending champions. The Crusaders have.

An impressive display by the Crusaders has shown some points:

1. They are the main contenders for the title.
2. Dominance in the forward pack is key for playing under the new ELVs.
3. Canterbury produces high quality players, like Poki, at an unbelievable rate.
4. Nucifora was right about the ELVs.

I can not agree with Fourie du Preez, when he suggests that the cause of their defeat was the own errors. They were outplayed.

Round 1 Crusaders hero

The Crusaders can usually line up a team composed by 15 stars every day of the year. If they managed to shine each in a different round, the Crusaders would win the regular season with no losses and still two of them would remain to shine for the semifinals and the final.

Guess who was the shining star of round one for the Crusaders



Hint: his name starts with "L" and finishes with "eon McDonald" :P

Super 14 round 1 wrap up

It has not been such a great start of the Super 14 season. Blues and Crusaders won showing an impressive form and gathered a bonus point each while Chiefs, Highlanders and Hurricanes lost. Specially disappointing was the performance of the Hurricanes in Brisbane, the only NZ team unable to score any try.

The Highlanders were close to bounce back and get on with a victory against the Reds during the second half, which makes us think that they are meant to gather some important victories this year.

The post-match comments of some players and coaches and aficionados about the ELVs and their effect are also interesting.

• Monsieur Rugbycan is surprised at the speed that the game is played under the new ELVs.
• Fourie du Preez, on the other hand, is a bit reluctanct to accept these ELVs as this very increased speed drives to more errors.
• David Nucifora is happy with the physical conditioning of his players that ended up high in the second half and reckons intensity as the key factor this season.

Next weeks will be all important for the Auckland Blues as they face the Sharks, Lions and Cheetahs in South Africa and depending on their performance, they could set a foot in the semifinals path as early as round 5.

Online score: Crusaders vs Brumbies:

34 - 3 (full time)

Mose Tuiali'i (2 tries) Brad Thorn (1 try)
Dan Carter (1 try, 4 conversions, 2 penalties)	Julian Huxley (penalty)

Congratulations to the Crusaders supporters: 5 points and a nice start of the season. Only 12 games remain to finish on top of the table.

Three, two, one ... Go!!

So, less than 7 hours and we're on it.

Today's matches will see the Crusaders at Christchurch against the Brumbies. I expect a clear win for the Crusaders, with Dan Carter on command. It could be of interest how the brand-new midfield performs but I don't really expect much of a Brumbies side that could perfectly be regretting Fisher's words more than anything.

The other game of the day will feature the Reds and the Highlanders. On my mind there's the Highlanders performance of last weekend, when the Otago franchise beat the Blues in a superb second time.

Shall we have a clear opinion on the ELV's after this first round?

Preseason coming to and end

Preseason games are over. In 7 days time the franchises must be ready. It ends in a roll for Waratahs and Hurricanes while it may leave a few headaches to Nucifora's Blues and Deans' Crusaders.

If you can just leave aside all what is not strictly rugby in this article, you may realise what one of the main problems for the 'saders can be: the second five eighths. What will Deans try for the starting game against the Brumbies?

I am glad of what the 'canes have shown.

Jason Eaton is back and is a promise of a powerful forward pack for the Hurricanes. Something that will undoubtedly give Piri Weepu a lot of play.

Outside the two islands, a question mark over the Waratahs real power. What will Timana Tahu show? Can he lift the 'tahs up to 2006 and 2005 standards? Fisher's Brumbies have not showed their best but... are they really the force they used to be?

Meanwhile in another continent, we hear that Cheetahs and Lions could end up struggling because of an alarmant lack of depth. Not certainly the thing you would like your side to show in a season where a lot of emphasis on physical condition is expected.

What now? Who's going to make the semifinals? What are your picks? I still expect a lot of Blues, Crusaders and Hurricanes.

Which Super 14 side should I support?

Ok, the Super 14 is about to start. In two weeks time the ball shall be kicked and everyone shall be supporting his/her side.

If you just have slightly got the idea of this blog, you won't need me to tell you that I only consider New Zealand sides, but anyway, which New Zealand side should I pick?

This is a very appealing side to me. I like Nick Evans and Joe Rocokoco and I think that Isa Nacewa is going to play a fundamental role for New Zealand in years to come. Besides 2007 Air New Zealand Cup showed how strong Auckland's youngsters are. Thus, they combine players I like and a lot of potential.

Well, the Chiefs would certainly be a good option: they have Stephen Donald, Leonard,... but I think I just could never back someone called "Chief". Should they change their name to "Thiefs" it would be all funnier and I would probably change my mind. History says that the Maori Kingdom created around 1880 was founded in this region and thus the name and symbol of the Chiefs are a maori chief. It's wonderful but... Why did they choose a pakeha word for the team? Interestingly, maori had no word for "King" before the arrival of the europeans, and the movement to appoint a maori chief was called "Kingitanga".

I can't choose the Crusaders. I just cannot. I like the players (Carter, McCaw, Williams, McDonald...) I like the coach... but they are just too successful for me. I could not support the L.A. Lakers nor Roger Federer, so I think I won't be backing the Crusaders.

This is a very interesting option. They have got probably the most capped pack (together with the Crusaders) and their skipper is a player I couldn't like more: Rodney So'oialo. Besides, the great Umaga played for the Hurricanes.

These would have been my last year's choice. In a place whose name reminds me of my favourite book, Nick Evans played for th Highlanders until last season. They used to be a very strong franchise but have somewhat struggled for the last 4 or 5 years... And the future does not look very appealing...

So, Blues, Highlanders or Hurricanes? I think I'm going to support Hurricanes and Blues and perhaps will flip a coin to see who I back on week 14, May the 16th.

This is my choice: What is yours?

BTW: According to the ngata online dictionary, the word in maori for chief is "rangatira"

More power on the scrum and... happier backs?

It's not only Keohane that states that the ELVs are putting more emphasis in good scrummaging. Blues hooker Keven Mealamu also thinks that easing scrums on own feed and difficulting scrums on opponent's feed can mean a definitive edge.

While the South African journalist believes the new laws will benefit the South African sides, Mealamu does not risk any such prediction.

On the other side, the first pre-Season duel among two Super 14 sides has witnessed a Crusaders side triumph over the Chiefs. It is important to recall that both teams have experienced men in their full-of-All Blacks packs. The score, 55 - 33 could mean nothing at all or could be explained by this extra space after the scrum that the ELVs provide.

Are we at the gates of a more spectacular rugby? Or are we just at the pre-Season? Can a new law put more emphasis in scrummaging and still be a bless for hungry-at-tries backs?

Rugbycan blog is right; South Africans should not be so confident on their scrums

(Update at 21:12 GMT: Robbie Deans considers ELVs should reward expansive rugby)

(Update at Jan 28, 10:18 GMT: Robbie Deans enthusiastic about ELVs)

(Update at Jan 29, 09:04 GMT: ELVs get the pass mark of coaches and refferees)

Laurie Fischer does not want to help Deans.

Yesterday we were surprised at Robbie Deans' proposal of a plan for all 4 Australian Super 14 sides coaches to be involved in Wallabies players selection.

Today, Brumbies coach, Laurie Fischer has been very harsh on Deans proposal. Apparently Laurie Fischer does not have anything against helping the Wallabies, but he does have it against helping the Crusaders coach.

"I certainly won't be discussing the relative strengths and weaknesses of my players until he has finished up with the Crusaders in the Super 14. You are talking about two sides here who could be in the Super 14 final."

Laurie Fischer was among the candidates for the Wallabies coach role when NZRU selection of Graham Henry left Robbie Deans "available" although he still had a one-year contract with the Crusaders. The ARU immediately added Robbie Deans to the list of candidates and eventually he got the job. NZRU allowed Deans to keep his Crusaders coaching job until the end of the present season and perhaps Fischer thinks Deans is going too far away

This arises some question as if retaining the Crusaders job was a good idea for Deans. I think Deans should have resigned perhaps even before the outcome of the Rugby World Cup, at the end of Super 14 2007 season. I don't doubt he can still do a wonderful job for the Crusaders but, won't everything be easier for him as Wallabies coach when he is not bound to the Crusaders?

New Zealand Super 14 franchises for 2008 campaign

32 days left and the ball will be in play again with an interesting Blues vs Chiefs at Eden Park.
A great number of players have headed northwards, and quite the same lot of new players are joining the Super 14 for the first time with a lot of new hopes on them. It seems that, as usual, after a World Cup year, it's time for a renovation. Besides, Auckland's Air New Zealand Cup perfect season (they went to win the Cup undefeated) makes us expect anything from the Blues this season.

Here we can take a look to the 2008's squads: I have noted in white the ones that have been capped for New Zealand and in red the new faces of the franchise.

Auckland Blues:
1st row: John Afoa, Tony Woodcock, Nick White, Keven Mealamu, Bronson Murray, Tom McCartney, Chris Heard
2nd row: Troy Flavell, Anthony Boric, Bryn Evans, Kurtis Haiu, Chris Smith
3rd row: Daniel Braid, Justin Collins, Jerome Kaino, Onosai'i Tololima-Auva'a, Nick Williams, Chris Lowrey
Half backs: Danny Lee, Taniela Moa, Chris Smylie
Mid-field: Nick Evans, Isa Nacewa, Ben Atiga, Isaia Toeava, Jamie Helleur, Anthony Tuitavake, Benson Stanley, Lachie Munro,
Outside backs:Joe Rocokoco, David Smith, George Pisi, Jarek Goebel, Rudi Wulf

Waikato Chiefs:
1st row: Ben Castle, Simms Davison, Ben May, Craig West, Aled de Malmanche, Tom Willis
2nd row: Jono Gibbes, Toby Lynn, Kevin O'Neill, Kristian Ormsby
3rd row: Tom Harding, Hayden Hopgood, Sione Lauaki, Tanerau Latimer, Faifili Levave, Liam Messam
Half backs: Brendon Leonard, Jamie Nutbrown
Mid-field: Stephen Donald, Tasesa Lavea, Callum Bruce, Richard Kahui,
Outside backs: Sosene Anesi, Lelia Masaga, Mils Muliaina, Sitiveni Sivivatu, Dwayne Sweeney, Viliame Waqaseduadua

Canterbury Crusaders:
1st row: Wyatt Crockett, Ben Franks, Campbell Johnstone, Ti'i Paulo, Greg Somerville
2nd row: Corey Flynn, Ross Filipo, Brad Thorn, Ali Williams
3rd row: Richie McCaw, Nasi Manu, Michael Paterson, Kieran Read, Reuben Thorne, Mose Tuiali’i, George Whitelock
Half backs: Andrew Ellis, Kahn Fotuali’i
Mid-field:Tim Bateman, Stephen Brett, Daniel Carter, Hamish Gard, Casey Laulala, Caleb Ralph
Outside backs: Scott Hamilton, Leon MacDonald, Sean Maitland, Kade Poki

Otago Highlanders:
1st row: Jason Macdonald, David Hall, Jamie Mackintosh, Clint Newland, Keith Cameron, Chris King
2nd row: Tom Donnelly, Hoani MacDonald, Hayden Triggs, Isaac Ross
3rd row: Craig Newby, Alando Soakai, Steven Setephano, Adam Thomson, Tim Boys, Ezra Taylor
Half back: Jimmy Cowan, Toby Morland
Mid-field: Daniel Bowden, Michael Delany, Aaron Bancroft, Niva Tau’oso, Johnny Leota, Brett Mather
Outside backs: Fetu'u Vainikolo, Lucky Mulipola, Paul Williams, James Wilson

Hurricanes:
1st row: Andrew Hore, Hikawera Elliot, Jacob Ellison, John Schwalger, Neemia Tialata, Tim Fairbrother
2nd row: Bernie Upton, Craig Clarke, Jason Eaton, Jeremy Thrush
3rd row: Chris Masoe, Jerry Collins, Michael Johnson, Rodney So'oialo, Scott Waldrom,Thomas Waldrom,
Half backs: Alby Mathewson, Piri Weepu
Mid-field: Conrad Smith, Jimmy Gopperth, Ma'a Nonu, Tamati Ellison, Tane Tu'ipulotu, Willie Ripia
Outside backs: Cory Jane, Hosea Gear, Shannon Paku, Zac Guildford