Todd Blackadder reckons they're still a long way from the finished product but the sight of the seven-time champions so clinically dismantling Australia's best side 40-20 in front of a sellout home crowd suggests the red and blacks are well and truly back.
Three straight wins on the road hitherto hinted strongly at this anyway, but last night's impressive three tries to two, 20-point thumping of the previously dominant ACT Brumbies confirms Blackadder's Crusaders are on track to contend for that elusive eighth title. They vault to 26 points with their sixth victory so far.
The one-dimensional, slightly muddled side that dropped two home games earlier is now a distant memory. This outfit defended vigorously, played super smart, hit hard at the scrum and took their opportunities with precision.
Not that Blackadder was quite so emphatic after a match notable for All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw getting through the full 80 in his comeback appearance, the home side surviving the loss of three players to injury in the first quarter and the Brumbies being made to look decidedly ordinary after winning seven of nine previously.
The coach was rapt. "I was just pleased with the tenacity, the resilience and the guts tonight."
The Crusaders were forced into an early reshuffle after Matt Todd (calf), Kieran Fonotia (hamstring) and Tom Taylor (concussion) all went down in the first quarter.
It was left to the increasingly accurate boot of Colin Slade to keep the score ticking over through the first half as he punished the Brumbies for loose play at the breakdown and a struggling scrum with five straight penalties, and a 15-6 lead approaching halftime.
Then the Crusaders struck in the shadow of the break, as good teams do. The impressive Israel Dagg initiated a breakout, his team responded with some excellent possession football and eventually Sam Whitelock found wing Johnny McNicholl wide on the cutback for a fabulous seven-pointer, and a 22-6 halftime lead.
The Brumbies threatened a comeback when hooker Stephen Moore scored inside two minutes of the restart when Ben Mowen found him nicely in support, but the Crusaders steadied just when they had to. Slade slotted his sixth penalty and soon after slammin' Sam Whitelock launched a superman dive, took Matt Toomua's attempted clearance in the face and big Nemani Nadolo scooped up the rebound to run 35 metres for a 30-13 leads.
Slade added his seventh three-pointer to extend the lead to 20, and then the Crusaders held out two lineout drives from the Brumbies that represented their final roll of the dice. There was still time for Luke Romano to pick up a careless yellow card, for Luke Whitelock to finish a messy try off toed-through ball down the left touchline and for Pat McCabe to grab a late consolation as the home defence ran out of puff.
"Tactically we're very similar, so we knew we had to be patient," added Blackadder.
"We've got to tidy up some areas. The defence, especially in the last 15 minutes, leaked some easy yards off the inside pass. We've got to be better than that."
Still, there was plenty to admire. McCaw warmed to his task, the scrum was excellent, Whitelock was busy, the hookers hit their targets and Jordan Taufua did well off the bench early. In the backs Slade and Dagg were the standouts. But Nadolo, a crowd favourite, delivers just the X-factor this side was missing early. Todd looks a long-term casualty, while Fonotia and Taylor will likely miss next weekend's visit to Brisbane.
The team looks well capable of taking that in their stride
Crusaders 40 (Johnny McNicholl, Nemani Nadolo, Luke Whitelock tries; Colin Slade 7 pens, con; Willi Heinz con) ACT Brumbies 20 (Stephen Moore, Pat McCabe tries; Nic White 2 pens, Christian Lealiifano con; Matt Toomua con). Ht: 22-6.
- © Fairfax NZ News
