The Herald's previews of the six New Zealand-based Super Rugby franchises continue with the Crusaders.
The standard-bearers again go in as favourites for a Super Rugby season.
But if the Crusaders had any doubt other teams have closed the gap, they only need look at the Chiefs pushing them ina home final last year and the Blues winding back the clock to the days Rupeni ran riot with the Transtasman crown.
Coach Scott Robertson has delivered a title in each of his seasons so far and much like a Dimitri's Souvlaki from central Christchurch's Riverside Market, the recipe doesn't change but the formula is still a winning one time after time.
Forwards lay the platform, the backs – led by two-time reigning Super Player of the Year Richie Mo'unga - complete the work.
Richie Mo'unga will be the Crusaders' main man once again. Photo / Photosport
But there'll be a bit of a hangover that they didn't win Super Rugby Transtasman (points differential saw them miss the decider, but they weren't as clinical as during Aotearoa) and the Crusaders players, minus Will Jordan of course, were hardly standouts at national level in the All Blacks side.
Mo'unga's sabbatical-style absence for at least the opening three rounds of the season could be the difference between a top seeding in the quarter-finals or not. He's been such an integral part to the Crusaders' success in recent years that Brett Cameron barely got a look-in even as a capped All Black and David Havili was entrusted to steer the ship when Mo'unga was sidelined.
Whether it's Havili, Fergus Burke or Simon Hickey, the hope will be they can step into Mo'unga's shoes and he'll be suitably refreshed following a long 2020.
The former Argentina captain is world class and will slot into a talent-laden forward pack. Matera does come with a slight ill-discipline streak – see the Byron Bay Brigade of last year during the Rugby Championship and some shocking tweets from his early years that got found in 2020.
But on the park he is a dynamic loose forward who will no doubt look at home quickly in an already dominant forward pack. The question being, what does this mean for Cullen Grace, a capped All Black in 2020 who endured injuries in 2021 and must now try and match it with a 78-test international.
Pablo Matera brings international test experience to the Crusaders. Photo / Photosport
Biggest loss: Luke Romano
The former All Blacks lock barely graced the match-day programme in 2021, making just the two appearances in a logjammed second row and lost out in the squad selection this year as Robertson decided the time was right to blood young prospect Zach Gallagher.
While Romano's departure probably won't mean much disruption to the selection puzzle for Robertson and co, Romano taking the intellectual property out of the Crusaders' Rugby Park base to the Blues in Auckland could be worth more than any impact he'll have on the park.
Romano was once hailed as a lineout guru in the All Blacks when he wasn't even part of the matchday 23 and it's understood he had a big role in the Crusaders set piece in recent years. The Blues stand to benefit from Romano's rugby brain.
Under the radar prospect: Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi
Can a former All Black be an 'under the radar prospect'? Well, it's my column so, yes. Tahuriorangi looked destined to be a 2019 World Cup pick for the All Blacks before a resurgent Brad Weber overtook him at franchise and international level.
The man known as Triple T might find himself parked behind Mitchell Drummond and Bryn Hall who have rotated the 9 and 21 jerseys at the Crusaders in recent seasons, with Ere Enari (Moana Pasifika) a distant third choice. But Tahuriorangi can break his way into the mix if he can recapture some of the form that once made the All Blacks sit up and take notice.
