Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder was wowed by the size and enthusiasm of the 8000- plus crowd which attended his team's Super 15 pre-season rugby match with the Hurricanes at Mangatainoka on Saturday.
A great fan of showcasing the country's top players in the provinces Blackadder described the Tui Brewery promotionas "just superb".
Blackadder was also happy with most of his team's on-field performance during their 19-8 victory, none more so than the forwards work at scrums and breakdowns. His one concern was the relatively high number of penalties conceded, many of them within comfortable striking distance of the posts.
Hurricanes coach Mark Hammett expressed pleasure at the improvement shown by his side and was quick to note that the scoreline could have been closer had they chosen not to turn down many of their goal kicking opportunities.
"We took lineouts because we wanted to check ourselves out in that area against what was effectively an All Blacks pack and I think we did well," he said. All Blacks captain Richie McCaw took no part in the game as he is still recuperating from injury but the 2012 Halberg award Sportsman of the Year winner received a huge welcome when he arrived at the ground via helicopter and brought the Great Big Tui Cup with him. This trophy was made out of a 30 litre keg and is said to hold enough beer for a whole team. Whether the Crusaders camp made any attempt to prove that fact after their win has not been reported!
