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Crusaders suffer loss as All Black prop ruled out for the season

Fletcher Newell. (Photo by Martin Hunter/Photosport)

The Crusaders have suffered another injury blow losing their third All Black over the opening rounds according to a report by Stuff.co.nz.

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After losing All Black midfield pair Jack Goodhue and David Havili in consecutive weeks, tighthead prop Fletcher Newell has succumbed to a foot injury suffered against the Chiefs and will miss the rest of the season.

The recently capped All Black injured his big toe in the opening round and the decision was made to undergo surgery last week. The Crusaders are now without Newell and All Blacks XV rep Oli Jager in the front row for the season.

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It was a double blow for the Crusaders as lock Mitch Dunshea’s chest injury will see him miss his second straight season.

Question marks surround the timeline for All Blacks star Will Jordan to return, who has been out of action since last year’s Super Rugby Pacific final against the Blues with an ear problem.

The Crusaders’ depth is set to be tested as the prepare for a Super Rugby Pacific final rematch against the Blues at Eden Park this weekend.

They will be without eight players of the 23 who ended the Blues 15-game winning streak with a 21-7 victory due to injuries and club departures.

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After losing to the Fijian Drua in Luatoka over the weekend, Scott Robertson’s side will be desperate to avoid a 1-3 start by going down to their fierce rivals in Auckland.

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Former All Black and ex-Crusaders halfback Justin Marshall has labelled the clash as “must win” for the Crusaders as they look to avoid their worst start to a season since Robertson took over.

“They’ve certainly put themselves now in a must-win type situation, no doubt about it,” Marshall told SENZ’s The Rugby Run show.

“I think the game in Fiji would have been draining, but I certainly feel that the game in Wellington … and the Blues (was more physical), they had some very sore players.

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“It was an incredibly physical game so I think the Crusaders won’t have kind of had that type of physicality against the Drua because it was a more free-flowing game.

“They’ve got to reset as well to get back to that physical mindset to take on the Blues who have just been through a game like that.”

After resting some of their big name All Blacks against the Drua, the side will likely re-load for the Blues with the return of Richie Mo’unga, Leicester Fainga’anuku, Joe Moody, Codie Taylor, Ethan Blackadder and Mitchell Drummond.

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SteveD 2 hours ago
Bulls book Leinster URC showdown but injury to Springbok tarnishes win

Dear heaven, what a pathetic and embarrassing game of rugby. As a Sharks supporter back in the wonderful Ian Mac days, I was even hoping, for SA rugby’s sake, that the hated Bulls would win so that they might at least give Leinster a bit of a game, but frankly, when a team almost has three players in the sinbin at the same time, then I imagine I might not be able to stand watching them get thrashed in Dublin next Saturday evening if they carry out the same Northern Transvaal stupidity of the old days. WTF did they think they were doing?


As for the Sharks, there's maybe a light at the end of the tunnel however, if they just follow my advice. I haven't watched their recent games but now I see where their problems lie. Three of them in fact. Firstly, get rid of Plumtree for - at the minimum - selecting reasons (2) and (3). Secondly and thirdly, get rid of the Hendrikse brothers. Who on earth thinks that those two are top quality rugby players needs to be in an asylum, or they'll likely send a lot of the Sharks supporters there instead, if they haven't already. They are useless - I mean, FFS, the so-called flyhalf can't even select boots that don't slip when he's taking multiple placekicks (to say stuffall about trying to put penalty kicks from 60 metres over - and failing - when a freaking lineout might have produced a try, even if he missed the conversion) - and I can now see why the team of ‘real’ Boks are doing so badly, having two idiots at scrumhalf and flyhalf. If they stay in the squad, Sharks supporters should rather cash in their season tickets and go watch the best English-speaking (and sixth all-round overall) SA rugby team, Westville Boys High, than suffer so much pain at King's Park.

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