48 Hours: McCaw and Crusaders in kingdom of heaven

If you were nit-picking about Richie McCaw, you might say that on one of his bad days, when whatever planet he arrived from and Earth aren't totally aligned, the All Black and Canterbury loose forward is only moderately brilliant.

Otherwise: delete the moderately and try magnificent to the power of whichever number you care to choose.

The legend of Colin Meads isn't under threat through the arrival of McCaw - it's just that Meads may no longer look down on every other player in the All Black hall of fame.

If McCaw's health holds up, which is still a big if, and especially if the World Cup ends up in his hands, then we have the modern-day equivalent to the mighty Pinetree. Somewhere way down the line, we can envisage R. McCaw, with hair of grey, advertising devices that for now we can only dream of. Cars that run on air with motors that never give up, maybe. It would be appropriate.

Saturday night's dismembering of the Blues by a Crusaders squad not over-endowed with star power should be, to northern rugby hearts, among the most disheartening in memory.

Apart from the wayward offside line that brought the sides uncomfortably close together, the gap between the two teams was a chasm.

Team Crusaders, led brilliantly by McCaw, were so superior to team Blues that, by the end, it was hard to believe that the visitors to Jade Stadium had managed any points at all.

To recap on this point, the Blues snared their meagre return during the part of the meeting where apologies are still being given, everyone is getting comfortable in their seats, and the tea bags are still being disposed of.

In other words, the Blues made their glorious mark at the time when those with serious agendas are still steeling themselves for what the night is all about.

When it came to general business, the statement of accounts, and matters arising, it was game set and match to the Crusaders, whose coach Robbie Deans - like McCaw - is headed for rugby's hall of legends as his rugby dynasty continues to power along no matter who is on board.

In the end, the comprehensiveness of the Crusaders' win was almost a comfort to crying northern eyes because it removed the temptation to head on a fruitless search for excuses.

Because there were times, as McCaw and his men slowly brought thumb to thumb, and forefinger to forefinger, that you felt an urge to rise up and plead a defence for the neck that was being throttled.

The Joe Rokocoko sin-binning for one. And as much as television allows, you could see Crusaders' bodies well across the offside line during the few promising Blues stanzas, while McCaw, the relentless genius, also won the odd rule interpretation that doesn't seem to generally apply.

Then again, maybe McCaw not only knows the rule book better than most, but has the speed of mind and body to tread on the right side of rugby's haphazard lines.

Whatever, when it came to the overall match analysis, there was no use quibbling on behalf of an ant that had been squashed by a herd of elephants.

On paper, there was not all that much between the two save for McCaw and the controlled brilliance of Dan Carter, admittedly two serious advantages to the red and blacks.

The unity of the Crusaders though, their ability and attitude in the area of retaining possession, was something to behold.

It was very hard to imagine that, under any circumstances, a Crusader would have hoofed the ball away as Rua Tipoki did in the second half at a time when his side had been starved of possession.

It wasn't so much a desperate act, but a surrender by Tipoki, an admission that the Blues no longer had the heart to even try to retain the ball.

From Leon MacDonald's uncanny and uncomplicated ability to find gaps that don't exist for the majority of other backs in the Super 14 to the high-energy impact of replacement loosie Johnny Leo'o, you could only marvel at the southern rugby colossus.

MacDonald gives the Crusaders so much impetus, often with the sidestep of a man who having just left home, pauses briefly to make sure he has the keys then carries on his way.

It was such a thumping victory - whatever Blues coach David Nucifora might contend - that you wondered why Deans would even bother wasting energy with his post-match attack, where he accused the Blues of negative tactics.

Deans might have been wiser, you would have thought, avoiding controversy that attracts further scrutiny of his own side's ploys.

As good as the Crusaders' unit was, McCaw stood head and shoulders above the crowd, saving time for winks and knowing half-smiles to suggest that this was just another Crusaders night in which things had gone to plan.

McCaw's status is also starting to overwhelm the match officials, at least from this country, at Super 14 level. You felt that the insecurities that probably lie beneath the pedantic style of referee Paul Honiss were exposed by the power of the McCaw presence on Saturday night.

There was also, to these eyes, no television evidence at all that he had scored a try by planting the ball at the base of the posts, but the replay official pronounced another Crusaders score.

Maybe the TV man was loath to drag the charming hero back from halfway, where he had already trotted to confirm the legitimacy of the try.

There still deserves to be serious doubt and debate over the desirability of Graham Henry installing McCaw as the test captain.

He got involved in a fair amount of conversation with Honiss on Saturday night and while it didn't detract from his or the Crusaders' game in this instance, it could be distracting for the all action hero and self-defeating for the All Blacks in a test crisis.

This and the health issue aside though, on every other score we can celebrate that New Zealand rugby has true greatness - a player to grace the covers of the history books - in our midst.

High

The Crusaders - magnifique. The West Indies - a one-day victory to put some credibility into the upcoming test series.

Low

For Blues fans - an awful sense of deja vu. The Warriors - the salary cap story rumbles on with reputation-damaging suggestions, including that an agent was on a six-figure retainer to send players to the club, continuing to surface across the Tasman.