Razor's admission: The Crusaders' big advantage before first game against Hurricanes
Crusaders coach Scott Robertson believes his side will have a slight advantage heading into their first game of Super Rugby Aotearoa this weekend against the Hurricanes.
The three-time defending Super Rugby champions had a bye on the first weekend of the rejigged competition, which allowed the team to observe the interpretation of the new rules – particularly at the breakdown – and put them into practice in training.
Robertson said they were fortunate to observe how the other teams reacted to the new rules and how it played out on the field.
"When we saw the draw we just made the best of it. There's going to be a little bit of an adjustment - you've got to adapt and learn as you go.
"We're fortunate to have a good look at it but it's rugby - some of those penalties aren't avoidable. People just get caught in the wrong position. Our guys will do the best we can."
There were close to 30 penalties in each of the two games last weekend, leading to more set pieces, which also plays to the Crusaders' strengths.
"We haven't seen that intensity for a while and were reasonably surprised," Robertson said. "And obviously the speed of the game. But we're just excited by how many lineouts there were. Because obviously there were penalties and a few kicks to the corner.
"It's a little bit of an adjustment to these interpretations around the breakdown so we get to have a look at it and we've been training for the last few weeks and we'll give it our best."
However, Robertson wasn't getting too carried away and was aware that having an extra week off also provides several challenges.
"There's an advantage in two ways. You learn by playing just as much as you can learn by watching. So we've got to make sure that we see the clear pictures that we were given. We know that they're going to be extremely tough and hard around the breakdown."
The Crusaders will be without captain Scott Barrett, who suffered a foot injury during a practice match in training.
Robertson wasn't sure about the extent of the injury but confirmed that the All Blacks lock hurt himself in a scrum and will be seeing a specialist.
But the 45-year-old coach was thankful for the depth at his disposal, with the return of Sam Whitelock into the starting lineup after his shortened Japanese sabbatical, as well as David Havilli and Ethan Blackadder to bolster the bench after recovering from long-term injuries.
Robertson was looking forward to getting back to business against a Hurricanes side looking to bounce back after an opening-round loss to the Blues.
"The Hurricanes are always extremely brutal matches," he said. "We know the ferocity and the love we have between the two teams. They're desperate straight away, aren't they, after a loss.
"It's a short, sharp sprint this and it just shows that the teams are winning at home. Your home games are really important and to win away is a big task. So they'll be protecting their patch and we're excited to get up there."
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Spot on Ben. Dead right. Havili looked great at 10. Easily the highest rugby IQ of any NZ player these days. Getting a kick charged down is a result of getting used to adjusting your depth to the line at 10, which he will sort out with time. But other than that it was an outstanding first effort in that position this year. I think the NZ media has misunderstood this directive from Razor. Havili might rank behind B Barrett this year, but Beuden is 33 this month and won't last much longer. DMaC is great but flaky and not really a test match animal (his efforts in Dunedin versus Aus last year for example). If Razor can't have Mounga, DMaC is too unstructured for Razor (and is just too small for test rugby). Havili will end up our first choice first five, and in partnership with Jodie will be excellent. Two triple threat operators in tandem, and big bodies and tough tacklers to boot. Jordoe will be the ABs goal kicker. I am an Aucklander and Blues (and Warriors) fan, but Havili at 10 is going to be sensational in time… he can be the best first five in the world by the end of this year. No question.
Go to commentsSharks deserved to be far further back by the last quarter. Their tackling was awful, their set pieces were disappointing, their defensive organization was poor (especially on the Kok side of the D line), they kept making unnecessary errors, and they never looked like cracking the Clermont defense during those first 60m. Masuku kept them in touch, with some help from the Clermont generosity on penalty opportunities. Agree with the writer of this article. It was belligerence, and ability to raise their pressure game just enough, that turned the last quarter into a Bok-style shutout. Clermont have a reputation of not playing the full 80m, and there was a bit of that for sure. But, quite often when the intensity of a team drops off in the last quarter credit is due to the opponent for tiring them out. At 60m, with the Kok try, you thought that just maybe the game was on. At 70m, with the Mapimpi contribution, one felt that Clermont were fading, while facing a team that would maintain the pressure game through the final whistle. Good win in the end, but the Sharks are still playing way below their potential. And with their resources, and a coach that has had enough time to figure things out, they are running out of excuses.
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