Chiefs v Crusaders: Five takeaways as ‘forgotten All Black’ stars in ‘impressive’ victory while Damian McKenzie wins full-back battle
Chiefs centre Quin Tupaea and utility back Damian McKenzie.
Following the Chiefs’ impressive 49-24 triumph over the Crusaders in their Super Rugby Pacific clash at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton on Friday, Planet Rugby picks out five takeaways from the thrilling action.
The top line
Both these sides came into this encounter full of confidence after making impressive starts to the season, with the Chiefs beating the Blues and the Crusaders getting the better of the Hurricanes last week.
The opening half in Hamilton was evenly contested but the Chiefs suffered an early blow when their captain Luke Jacobson was forced off for a HIA which he failed.
Despite that setback, the Chiefs remained competitive and were rewarded with tries from Emoni Narawa and Xavier Roe during the opening half while Kyle Preston and Ethan Blackadder dotted down for the Crusaders with a penalty from Damian McKenzie being the difference between the sides as the home side held a 17-14 lead at the interval.
The visitors drew level shortly after the restart via a James O’Connor penalty but it was one-way traffic after that as the Chiefs took control of proceedings with Leroy Carter, Samipeni Finau, Josh Jacomb and Quinn Tuapea (2) all crossing for tries.
Although the Crusaders added another five-pointer, it was a consolation score from Antonio Shalfoon in the game’s dying moments as the Chiefs already had the match sewn up by then.
Quinn Tupaea is back
The 25-year-old made a solid start to the season with an impressive all-round performance in last weekend’s victory over the Blues and continued where he left off with another superb effort in this fixture.
He started on the replacements bench but made an early entrance when Rameka Poihipi was forced off through injury in the ninth minute.
Tupaea hit the ground running in Hamilton as he caught the eye with superb physicality on either side of the ball. He did his bit with big defensive hits but made his biggest impact on attack where he finished with a match-high 103 metres gained and scored a brace of tries for his efforts.
Chiefs fans will think that Tupaea is a forgotten All Black as he hasn’t represented his country since 2022 – when he suffered a horrific knee injury in a Bledisloe Cup Test which kept him on the sidelines for 11 months and ruled him out of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.
However, his fine start to the season will be a timely reminder to All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson of his ability and if he can maintain his current form, he should be back in black later this year.
Damian McKenzie wins the battle of the All Blacks fullbacks
There was plenty of hype around the full-back battle ahead of this match as both sides had All Blacks stars starting for them in that position with McKenzie (Chiefs) going up against Will Jordan (Crusaders).
Both players showed their importance to their respective causes with Jordan a genuine threat on attack for the full 80 minutes and he eventually finished with 97 metres gained from 15 runs which included one clean break and four defenders beaten.
Meanwhile, McKenzie finished with 44 metres gained from seven runs, beating four defenders but he was influential in other areas, especially in the build-up of one of the Chiefs’ tries and although he did not deliver a perfect goal-kicking performance, he did his bit in that department as he finished with a 14-point haul after slotting four conversions and two penalties.
Crusaders lose their way after half-time
The Crusaders came into this year’s campaign with a point to prove to their detractors after a forgetful 2024 Super Rugby Pacific season which was their worst in the tournament’s history.
However, they had their tails up after clinching a deserved victory over the Hurricanes last week and delivered a solid performance in the first half against the Chiefs.
And when they made the score 17-17 via O’Connor’s penalty in the 46th minute, it looked like the game was set to be a tight battle for the full 80 minutes.
It wasn’t to be though as the men from Christchurch completely lost their way in the game’s final 30 minutes and they resembled the Crusaders of 2024 with their game littered with a plethora of unforced errors.
Rob Penney’s troops struggled in the scrums, conceded turnovers, missed touch from a penalty while their captain, David Havili, also kicked a ball over the dead-ball line.
While the Chiefs deserve credit for their triumph, their cause was certainly helped by the mistakes from their opponents’ and Penney will have plenty of homework to do ahead of their next match, at home against the Reds on March 9.
Ethan Blackadder shines again
After making a superb start to the season for the Crusaders in their victory over the Hurricanes, the All Blacks back-row delivered another solid all-round performance, albeit in a losing cause.
The 29-year-old competed relentlessly at the breakdowns, emptied the tank on defence and was a willing ball carrier as he completed 14 carries and was rewarded with a deserved try in the first half.
Blackadder’s career has been blighted by injuries but this was his second successive encounter where he delivered a full 80-minute performance and although he will be unhappy to have finished on the losing side, he can hold his head high as he was one of the Crusaders’ best players.
