Blue bottlers

It's getting pretty hard to see which team in this competition is capable of defeating the Crusaders.

The Blues were equipped to do it last night but we are fast realising they are not capable. Not even remotely. There were 11 All Blacks in their starting XV, and to a man, they crumpled like a badly put up tent to a defeat that will leave some psychological scarring that hours of counselling may never heal.

In their defence, even a well put up tent would have been left flapping in the storm created by this Crusaders side. A better team than the Blues, however, may not have resorted to so much ugliness to exact their revenge. The final 10 minutes were marred by off-the-ball scuffles and the horrendous stomping on Richie McCaw's head by Ali Williams which deservedly saw the big lock sent off.

The violence was the by-product of frustration caused by having to play a team that is making a legitimate claim to be the best to ever grace the competition.

The Crusaders have struck the balance the Blues so desperately crave. Last night they played with width when it was on. Kept it tight when they had to and kept an eye on the set-piece to ensure possession kept coming their way.

They were so good they made the Blues look laughably bad. Probably, though, the Blues are in such a dark place right now, they could have come out for 80 minutes of unopposed and not necessarily have done much better.

Every individual contest went to the man in red. Justin Marshall cottoned on early that his own shadow was going to make a better job of marking him than David Gibson and the veteran halfback controlled the tempo from the first minute when he skilfully flicked back a Carlos Spencer kick to keep the ball in play. It was a statement of intent that the Crusaders felt a fast game is a good game. Which had a wonderful arrogance to it given there are billboards all round Auckland professing that fast game/good game line is the motto of the Blues.

They won't be able to live up to their mantra until they find a second five-eighths with the pace, vision and skill of Aaron Mauger. The 24-year-old is in the form of his life and must be making the All Black selectors think about relocating Tana Umaga back to centre.

It was a break from deep inside his own 22 that created Rico Gear's first try and his deft chip that led to the penalty try. The Blues might also want to wake up to the fact that they are no longer a counter-attack team. Mils Muliaina, Doug Howlett and Joe Rokocoko look like they are auditioning for roles in Benny Hill when they try and run from deep.

Compare that with the Crusaders who get numbers behind the ball, move it wide early and get the cavalry quickly to the breakdown.

The battle at the coalface was just as miserable for the Blues. Williams could have played in a cheap suit and it wouldn't have been all over him the way Chris Jack was, while Mose Tuilaii gave Xavier Rush a reminder that dynamism and athleticism are pretty handy qualities in a No 8.

Late tries by Rokocoko, Isa Nacewa and Howlett steered the headline writers away from the word disgrace but didn't exactly restore respectability. The damage inflicted in the first half was much too acute for that to happen.

Blues 19 J. Rokocoko, I. Nacewa, D. Howlett tries; T. Lavea 2 cons).

Crusaders 41 (J. Marshall, C. Ralph 2, R. Gear, L. MacDonald, tries, penalty try; D. Carter 4 cons, pen).

- HERALD ON SUNDAY