Crusaders player ratings: ‘Ludicrous’ Leicester Fainga’anuku will have All Blacks boss ‘salivating’ while bench implosion almost cost ‘Saders
Crusaders star Leicester Fainga'anuku and an inset of prop George Bower.
Following the Crusaders’ 36-20 victory over the Blues, here’s how we rated Rob Penney’s charges in the Super Rugby Pacific clash.
Crusaders player ratings v Blues
15 Johnny McNicholl: The biggest mark against the experienced full-back was being tackled over his line after being a bit too casual when tracking back. However, that was a rare blight on an otherwise excellent showing. He glides across the pitch wonderfully still and his distribution is top-notch. 7
14 Sevu Reece: Of course he scored. A lethal finisher but Reece showed why he has fallen down the All Blacks‘ pecking order as Caleb Clarke got the better of him in the aerial battle. A dereliction of his defensive duties meant that he laid out the red carpet for Sam Nock to score, too. 5
13 Dallas McLeod: An injury meant that he didn’t come out for the second half after a really sound showing in the first 40. He shifted the ball on well when it came his way and made his tackles. 6
12 David Havili (c): Mixed his approach up well through his passing and kicking game to keep the Crusaders in the right areas of the pitch. Linked up well with both Dallas McLeod and Fainga’anuku. 6
11 Macca Springer: Racked up a handy 60-odd metres with ball in hand and fared well enough under the high ball. His defence was suspect on AJ Lam’s try and was replaced around the hour mark. 5
10 Rivez Reihana: A horrid start to the game as he botched the kick-off and was guilty of wasting possession at times. However, he grew into the game as it progressed and smartly took his try with some neat footwork. 7
9 Noah Hotham: The breakdown was a mess at times which certainly didn’t help the scrum-half but often his service was slow when there was clean possession. Missed a couple of tackles too, but fared fairly well in the grand scheme of things. Not the kind of performance that will bolster his All Blacks ambitions, but not one that would be detrimental either. 5
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The forward pack
8 Christian Lio-Willie: Yet again, Fainga’anuku was given the freedom to roam and influence the game because of the work done elsewhere in the pack and Lio-Willie was immense. There isn’t anything to complicated about his game; he is powerful in contact, and his work rate is relentless. 7
7 Leicester Fainga’anuku: An all-court, all-action shift from the All Blacks star who was absolutely everywhere in the first half. He may have had the number seven jersey on but he effectively double-jobbed in the opening 40. He brilliantly executed the cute set-lineout move to send Bower over for his try in his 100th game. He backed that up with some excellent centre play as he chipped over the top to create the try for Hannah. He repeated that trick for Reece’s try in the second half when he moved into the centres. Fainga’anuku topped the tackle count for the Crusaders, won two turnovers, and was one shy of Lio-Willie’s carry tally in what was a truly ludicrous performance that will have Dave Rennie salivating. 9
6 Ethan Blackadder: Head down and simply getting the job done. Blackadder did what Blackadder does. Aggressive, physical and accurate in everything he did. Hugely work-rate, and it was great to see him get a full 80 minutes under his belt. 8
5 Jamie Hannah: Very fortuitous that his try stood, as it was blatantly obvious to everyone except the TMO that he was in front of Fainga’anuku kicked. He rode his luck, though and was rewarded with the five points. Busy in defence, effective at the breakdown and troubled the Blues‘ lineout with his contesting work while the ‘Saders lineout was flawless. 8
4 Antonio Shalfoon: One of the quieter performers from the pack but his shift was no less important. He did what was required of him and did it well. 6
3 Fletcher Newell: Jason Ryan will be pleased with Newell’s form this season as the Crusaders tighthead put the Blues’ scrum under the pump but didn’t quite get the reward he deserved. Got through a fair amount of work around the park and was a strong pillar for the driving mauls. 7
2 Codie Taylor: A solid 50 minutes from the All Blacks veteran who has been tipped for the captaincy this year. His lineouts were accurate and he was part of a strong scrum. 6
1 George Bower: 99 games without a try but the Crusaders had a plan to ensure he would get five points before the end of his 100th appearance and to his credit, he executed it perfectly. His scrummaging was solid but he did have soft moments, conceding a penalty and wasting possession when he filled in at scrum-half. 6
Replacements: Kurtis Macdonald and Jack Sexton’s indiscretions almost cost the Crusaders the game, the former’s brainfade earning him a red card. Thankfully for Penney, the likes of Kyle Preston, Dom Gardiner, Tahlor Cahill, and George Bell were superb and powered the Crusaders to victory, particularly the latter. 7
