Crusaders’ future uncertain: Rob Penney’s strategy questioned - Tight Five with Elliott Smith

ANALYSIS

An observation...

Rob Penney’s hot mic moment wasn’t a great look for the coach himself or the franchise. Clearly, the team and the man are under pressure, but with a deep breath and a walk down the tunnel he could have let off the steam and as many c-words as he liked. The reality is that Penney should not continue as the Crusaders’ coach next year. Teams are allowed off-seasons, even the Crusaders, but the damage done to both the team and the wider brand can’t be ignored, especially when it extends to off the park.

A question...

Did the Crusaders genuinely believe Penney was the right man to replace Scott Robertson or was it a holding move? It seems like a massive misstep to have put him in even as what has widely been viewed as an interim measure before Tamati Ellison supposedly took the reins in 2026 – a plan that must also now be in question. The Crusaders and their fans have thrived and enjoyed being disliked from outside the catchment area for their winning mentality on the park – but when that arrogance takes hold off the park, things have clearly gone wrong.

An explanation...

The performances of the Blues and the Hurricanes to date, along with the Crusaders’ unprecedented struggles have dominated so much of the Super Rugby Pacific conversation this year, it’s easy to forget that the Chiefs were pre-season favourites and are still within shouting distance of doing some damage before all is said and done.

They have flattered to deceive so far despite their roster but are getting bodies back and fit at the right point of the season. The fact that several members of their first-choice backline only played together for the first time last week against the Rebels might be a pointer that they’re ready to hit their straps at the pointy end of the season.

It hurt those in Chiefs-land last year that having shown the way through the regular season and playoffs, they failed to fire when it really mattered against the Crusaders at FMG Stadium Waikato in the big dance. Perhaps they’ve learned from the sting and hurt of that night that especially in a bloated eight-team playoff series, it’s all about winning three games in June, not the rest before then.

A suggestion...

It wasn’t a big headline-grabber, but New Zealand Rugby and the Blues should be quietly pleased with keeping prop Ofa Tu’ungafasi on the books for two more years this week. At 32, the veteran is getting better with age. He is enjoying the tutelage of Vern Cotter at the Blues so much he’s scored four tries – in a career where he’s only dotted down 11 times at Super level in all.

A prediction...

Missing selection for the knockout stages at last year’s World Cup seems to have reinvigorated Tu’ungafasi and put himself forward for selection in the new era this year. Having said all that, he’s lucky there was no intervention on a shoulder hit on Cameron Millar last week that left the Highlanders playmaker bloodied. Whether Tu’ungafasi will still be at the 2027 World Cup at age 35 is anyone’s guess, but he could play a vital role over the next couple of years.

Elliott Smith is Newstalk ZB and Gold Sport’s lead rugby commentator and reporter. He’s been a sports journalist since 2010 and has travelled to three Rugby World Cups for NZME, including commentating the Rugby World Cup final in 2023.