Crusaders at 'full throttle' for Bulls
The Crusaders arrived in Pretoria on Sunday, ahead of their two-match tour of South Africa, with a full muster of players at the disposal of coach Robbie Deans.
The Crusaders arrived in Pretoria on Sunday, ahead of their two-match tour of South Africa, with a full muster of players at the disposal of coach Robbie Deans.
They start their road trip – which also includes a stopover in Perth to play the Western Force on the way back to New Zealand – when they face the defending Super 14 champion Bulls in Pretoria on Friday. A week later they take on the Stormers in Cape Town.
The Crusaders had no new injury concerns, following their impressive 34-3 demolition of the Brumbies in Round One at the weekend.
“That was one of the major pluses out of the game, aside from the result of course,” Crusaders assistant-coach Mark Hammett said.
“While it was pretty physical, and there were some fairly tired boys in the shed afterwards, we largely came through unscathed. Importantly we will have a full muster to select from for the Bulls.”
The squad departed Christchurch on Saturday en-route to Sydney, where the team over-nighted prior to continuing on to South Africa.
The Crusaders arrived in South Africa on Sunday and will be basing themselves at Centurion on the outskirts of Pretoria in the lead-up to Friday's keenly anticipated clash against the reigning champions, the Bulls.
“It's going to be a big game, but an occasion we're all looking forward to,” Crusaders skipper Richard McCaw said.
“Loftus is a great ground to play at, and I'm sure the atmosphere will be buzzing. While we're always careful not to get too far ahead of ourselves, it is fair to say that this is a game we've been looking forward to.”
The Crusaders last appeared in Pretoria in the semi-finals last year, losing a try-less contest 12-27.
Of the original Crusaders playing roster of 28 that was named for this year's competition, the two players to miss the trip are the injured lock Ross Filipo and loose forward George Whitelock.
Filipo is scheduled to undergo surgery on his injured neck next week, but is expected to be fit to return to duty prior to the conclusion of the competition.