Rugby: Crusaders forced to defend Crockett again

Wyatt Crockett of the Crusaders. Photo / Getty Images.

Just as there is a familiar look to the Crusaders team named to play the Bulls on Sunday - with Dan Carter and Richie McCaw back in their favourite positions - so is there a feeling of deja vu about the attacks aimed at Wyatt Crockett's scrummaging technique.

Former international referee Jonathan Kaplan, a South African, is the latest to have a go at All Blacks loosehead prop Crockett, labelling his efforts against South African teams the Cheetahs and Lions over the past fortnight illegal.

"When is something going to be done about it? I'm not sure," Kaplan wrote in a column. "I've been talking about it for at least five years now, and my sense is that there is either a lack of will, or confusion as to how to address this. Enough said."

All of which appears harsh on Crockett, a man at the forefront of the recent demolition jobs on the Lions and Cheetahs at scrum time which saw two of his opposites yellow carded. Crockett endured a torrid test debut against Italy in Milan in 2009 when he was penalised time and again by referee Stuart Dickinson only for referees' boss Paddy O'Brien to later apologise for a series of poor calls.

It is a stigma Crockett has found hard to shake off and now it has again reared its ugly head, but, while he has been named in the reserves for the match at Loftus Versfeld on Sunday morning - Joe Moody will wear the No1 jersey - it is nothing to do with the latest brouhaha.

"He's just as good a loosehead as Wyatt, so it's coincidental that our team had already been named within the group before these comments were made," scrum coach Dave Hewett said of Moody.

"We've never had any issues raised about how we're going about things and I know for a fact that there's nothing that's ever coached and nothing the players try and work into."

Assistant coach Tabai Matson added: "Crockett gets singled out because he's the guy at the point of the spear. But it's an eight-man technique and we're hoping that as a unit they do their job."

Crusaders team to play the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Sunday, kick-off 6.10am NZT is: Israel Dagg, Kieron Fonotia, Ryan Crotty, Tom Taylor, Nemani Nadolo, Dan Carter, Andy Ellis, Kieran Read (c), Richie McCaw, Jordan Taufua, Sam Whitelock, Luke Romano, Owen Franks, Ben Funnell, Joe Moody. Reserves: Codie Taylor, Wyatt Crockett, Nepo Laulala, Jimmy Tupou, Matt Todd, Mitchell Drummond, Colin Slade, David Havili.