Crusaders player ratings: ‘Ferocious’ All Blacks hopeful and Scott Barrett’s ‘giant presence’ inspires another Super Rugby title
Crusaders player ratings: Blackadder tops the charts while centre teammate has a game to forget
The Crusaders are the official Super Rugby Pacific champions again after beating the Chiefs 16-12 in an incredibly physical match at the Apollo Projects Stadium on Saturday. Here’s how we rated the Crusaders player:
Backs
15 Will Jordan: An uncharacteristically quiet first period for the talented All Blacks star, but he grew into the game as time went on. His dominance in the air helped the Crusaders pin the Chiefs in their own half for regular periods of the match, helping position fly half Reihana to knock over the penalties that would ultimately decide the game. 7
14 Sevu Reece: It was a zippy performance from the winger as he used his impressive pace to put the Chiefs’ defence under pressure. He did have the ball ripped from him on the Chiefs’ five-metre line, however, which he will not want to watch back on the highlights. 8
13 Braydon Ennor: One of the rare sub-par performances of the evening. Found guilty of losing the ball in the tackle on more than one occasion, plus made an awful miss pass to no one, which went straight into touch. Also struggled to get his outside wingers involved in the game. 4
12 David Havili: Received an early yellow card for a poorly positioned tackle. His shoulder made contact with the opposition’s head, for which he was fortunate not to have received a red card. Despite receiving ten minutes in the bin and a further few minutes with an HIA, he returned to the field with vigour, becoming a part of everything good about the Crusaders. He almost scored a match-winning try with just a quarter of the game left on the clock, but it was eventually chalked off due to Noah Hotham being offside in the build-up. 8
11 Macca Springer: A frustratingly quiet evening for the young winger, one that saw him make double the number of tackles than he had carries. He held up well when required, however. 6
Half backs
10 Rivez Reihana: His first ambitious kick for the posts went wide, but from then on, he barely put a foot wrong. Using his trusty right boot, the 25-year-old helped build a solid lead from the tee, but also pushed the Chiefs’ defence back with some nifty kicks to the corner. 7
9 Noah Hotham: The young scrum half was dangerous around the fringe of the ruck, often looking to sneak through little gaps. He was an important factor in the pace of the Crusaders’ attack. He worked well with Reihana, particularly with the kicking game. 7
Forwards
8 Christian Lio-Willie: Potentially lucky to stay on the field after a dubiously high hit on Damian McKenzie, but otherwise had a tremendous game. Regularly got his hands on the ball to be used as a battering ram, and without the ball was just as ferocious in the tackle. 8
7 Tom Christie: An industrious display from the Christchurch home boy. Often seen buried at the bottom of the ruck or throwing his body into tackles. Nothing too flashy, but also nothing too wrong. Good job. 7
6 Ethan Blackadder: A mammoth performance by the giant flanker, leading the carry stats with 19 and making 16 tackles. The son of Todd Blackadder was a part of everything that made the Crusaders good in this final. 9
5 Antonio Shalfoon: The lineout general of the afternoon, Shalfoon led from the air, but also made his fair share of tackles, just three below his lock partner. Wasn’t afraid to take the ball into contact either, with his 2 metre tall frame regularly seen charging into the opposition wall. 8
4 Scott Barrett: Defensively, he was the star man for the Crusaders, making 17 tackles and winning 2 turnovers. His giant presence in the scrum and lineout helped provide a solid base for Hotham to work off. 9
3 Fletcher Newell: Scrummed well and made a real nuisance of himself in the tackle area, but also provided solid go-forward ball on those short running lines. 7
2 Codie Taylor: Should get a 10 just for scoring a typical winger’s try down the left-hand side. Shrugging off multiple players to dive down in the corner, Taylor’s initial score became the catalyst for the Crusaders for the rest of the match. The lineout coughed and spluttered as the match went on, however, something that will need to be addressed before next season. 7
1 Tamaiti Williams: Like his prop partner, he linked up with the rest of the forwards to form solid running lines around the breakdown, but also provided a dominant scrum display. 7
Replacements: The majority of the subs were introduced later in the game due to the tense nature of the match, but they brought with them a sense of freshness that enabled their side to assert some dominance on a previously even match. 8
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