Ex Supersport
Nothing has been confirmed but if their final Vodacom Super Rugby match of 2015 was their swansong in the competition it was a fitting way to bid farewell for Crusaders stalwarts Richie McCaw and Dan Carter as the Kiwi team beat the Brumbies 37-24 in Canberra on Saturday.
The Brumbies loss meant that the DHL Stormers retain their slight hope of a second place finish on the overall log with the match between the Waratahs and Reds to come.
Of the legendary Crusaders duo, only Carter’s departure from the franchise next season has been confirmed. McCaw has not made any official announcement, but according to New Zealand commentators it is anticipated that he will call it a day after the World Cup later this year. (The oak obviously has more sense and regard for his team than wee matfiled!!!!)
If the Crusaders played every game like they did the one in Canberra they would have comfortably made the play-offs rather than falling short for the first time in ages. There was an intensity and aggression to their game that hasn’t always been there this season, and the Brumbies, who had more to play for, helped contribute to the game being one of the matches of the season.
In the first five minutes it looked as though the Brumbies might confound the pre-match predictions – most people went with the Crusaders, though not this one – as they surged onto the attack and it was made to look all too easy for them as David Pocock dotted down off a driving maul that ate up several metres.
Christian Lealiifano’s conversion made it 7-0 and the Brumbies went straight back onto the attack, but the Crusaders managed to exit and a Kieran Read intercept, one of those where the ball bobbled on his finger tips high above his head, created the momentum that led to the impressive Nemani Nadolo force his way over in the corner.
If McCaw and Carter are departing heroes, Nadolo is very much the new hero for the Crusaders, and the contenders for the World Cup title should be pleased that the Fijian isn’t available to play for the All Blacks as he would have the potential to make a Jonah Lomu type impact on the tournament were he playing for a top team.
There is a lot more to the Nadolo package than the blockbusting power that we saw in the first try and that was the strength of Lomu. The left wing scored a try for the Crusaders shortly before halftime that featured all his attributes, with good handling leading to a delicate chip ahead that he chased down himself to gather and score.
Matt Todd has scored earlier by burrowing around the side of a driving maul – the Kiwi and Australian teams are starting to get adept at that method of scoring – so the Crusaders went to the break with a 21-10 lead, with Carter missing all three conversion attempts from the first half but landing two penalties.
The All Black No 10 landed three more penalties in the second half, and for a while it looked like that might be the difference between the teams as the Brumbies fought back with two driving maul tries, both dotted down by Jarrad Butler, though the second one was awarded as a penalty try by referee Jaco Peyper.
That cut the score to 27-24 in favour of the Crusaders with just under a quarter of an hour remaining, and for a while it was a bit frenetic as the game hung in the balance. However a poor kick from Nic White led to the Crusaders claiming the field position that enabled them to drive over from several metres out. Again Peyper awarded a penalty try even though McCaw, like Jarrad had earlier, quite clearly dotted the ball down.
A final Carter penalty drummed the final nail into the coffin of a Brumbies team that is condemned now to travel for their quarterfinal next week, with Cape Town probably being their destination. Their scrum was under constant pressure from the Crusaders and that is one aspect of their game that will require improvement in a match against one of the strongest scrumming units in the competition.
There were two yellow cards in the second half, with Jessie Mogg’s visit to the bin for a tap down being cancelled out by the card flashed at Sam Whitelock for a repeat infringement a few minutes later.
The result of the Canberra game means that, as anticipated, the two Kiwi teams, the Chiefs and Highlanders, will be playing each other in the other match in the first round of the Finals Series, with the Chiefs needing to beat the Hurricanes by 36 points in New Plymouth and grab a bonus point in order to secure home ground advantage by ending fourth.
SCORES
Crusaders 37 – Tries: Nemani Nadolo 2, Matt Todd, Penalty try, Conversion: Dan Carter; Penalties: Dan Carter 5.
Brumbies 24 – Tries: David Pocock, Jarrad Butler, Penalty try; Conversions: Christian Lealiifano 3; Penalty: Christian Lealiifano.
