The Crusaders celebrate a Will Jordan try against the Blues. Photo / Photosport
The Crusaders celebrate a Will Jordan try against the Blues. Photo / Photosport
An observation...
It only took around 45 minutes for the Blues to heap the pressure on the Crusaders after the final whistle last week before tonight’s semifinal, when coach Vern Cotter brought up the Crusaders’ playoff record at home – 30 wins, no defeats.
Cotter reiterated that fact athis team-naming media conference mid-week, as if to send the message out once again to the Crusaders and their coach Rob Penney: ”Are you listening?” To have that stat ringing in their mind as they march out of the tunnel tonight. 30 wins, no defeats.
An explanation...
It’s smart PR spin from Cotter because: 1.) It puts the heat on their opposition; and 2.) It takes it off the Blues – even if Cotter could perhaps point out they do not have any pressure on them given they are the bottom seed.
But to believe that belies the truth, which is that the Blues have not beaten the Crusaders in 20 years when it really counts with their season on the line. And it is that fact that should be the record the Blues want tonight, not being the team to break the Crusaders’ 30 straight wins at home.
A question...
When was the last time the Blues can claim to have really hurt the Crusaders? As in really leave a mark that takes a long time to heal. It would probably have to be 2003. When they won the title in front of their home fans at Eden Park. An all-time Blues side with some of the greatest to play for the team, playing rugby that at times verged on Harlem Globetrotter-esque in its beauty.
Since then, the Blues can point to regular season wins – Carlos Spencer “shoving it up them” in 2004 and the Good Friday win in 2022 in Christchurch among others – but they have then failed to back them up in key moments. In 2022, they were humbled at Eden Park by a Crusaders team who unscrambled the Blues lineout and, as Leon Macdonald lamented post game, may as well have had the Blues playbook. In 2023, they were demolished by the old foe in a ruthless display in their semifinal in Christchurch where they were spat out by the Crusaders pack.
The Crusaders celebrate a try to Codie Taylor on their way to victory in 2023. Photo / Photosport
Add to that victories by the Crusaders at pivotal times in the Super Rugby Aotearoa format in 2020 and 2021 that helped hamstring the Blues’ hopes of winning and it paints a picture of a one-way rivalry over 20 years.
A suggestion...
It might even hurt the Blues that, despite the traditional rivalry between the two centres, the Crusaders are perhaps more likely to consider the Chiefs their peers over the past decade or so. There have been some real to-and-fro in their meetings in the regular season, even when the Crusaders were at their peak. More so, the Blues have the knowledge that their one title in the past 20 years came when the Crusaders were not at the races. Hence why tonight is so important.
The Blues might not win the title this year but they can help undo some of the ghosts that haunt them. They’ll know it’s not the Crusaders team of their seven-year dynasty, but a strong performance would signal the balance of power has shifted north and that they are intent on building on their title win last year and rewriting history, rather than just simply being content as a team that claimed one title but weren’t hungry enough to do it again or stand up to their bully of nearly two decades.
