Super Rugby: Levi Aumua needs to lift his game to help struggling Crusaders - Tight Five with Elliott Smith

Aumua has struggled to replicate for the Crusaders the impact he made for Moana Pasifika over his two years. Photo / Photosport

Elliott Smith analyses the biggest talking points from the world of rugby.

An observation ...

The Crusaders can point to many issues for their winless start to Super Rugby (injuries, permanent departures of players and staff, the list goes on) but perhaps the most curious one has been the near anonymous impact of Levi Aumua in the opening four weeks.

Hailed as a major signing when he agreed a two-year deal last year, Aumua has struggled to replicate for the Crusaders the impact he made for Moana Pasifika over his two years and represents an attack that has somehow become increasingly impotent as the opening month has dragged on, scoring just two tries in the last 160 minutes of rugby.

An explanation ...

Aumua is averaging just 54 and a half minutes across the opening four rounds, but perhaps more worrying has only had a lowly 16 carries, a tally nearly doubled by teammate Sevu Reece (31) and overhauled by one-test All Black Dallas McLeod (17) who has played just 121 minutes.

And it’s not just the limited touches he’s had but what he’s done with him — generating just one line break in the opening four weeks and beating six defenders. For the Crusaders, he must stand up in tomorrow night’s derby about the Blues, especially matching up against a weakened midfield with no Rieko Ioane.

A prediction ...

Crusaders coach Rob Penney defended Aumua’s impact this week, suggesting it was a backline-wide issue of the side’s attack being clunky rather than singling out Aumua himself. The Crusaders languish low in attack ranking last in points scored after four rounds and second-to-last in tries, carry metres and line breaks. Penney is right. It’s not all on Aumua, but with other attacking options in the backline dwarfing his numbers, he needs to step up for the Crusaders to turn around their season and live up to his billing. If he gets going, the Crusaders just might, too.

A suggestion ...

Maybe there needs to be an age limit on what’s colloquially become known as “tackle school”. It seems a tad farcical to see Owen Franks, two-time World Cup winner and in the twilight of his career at 36 to be forced to attend tackle school — or as it’s properly known “Coaching Intervention” to know he shouldn’t make head-on-head contact with another player. It was a bit of a brain explosion from Franks and rules have changed to some extent since he started but showing he knows how to tackle properly after a professional career stretching 17 years.

A question ...

The Boston Red Sox had the “Curse of the Bambino” when Babe Ruth was controversially sold to the Yankees and they didn’t win a title for 86 years, the Masters has the par-3 contest curse (no one has won the informal competition and the event itself in the same year), could the Blues have the Curse of Benji?

They haven’t beaten the Crusaders since 2022. If they can’t beat the Crusaders this weekend and break the curse, when will they?