Crusaders v Chiefs: Five takeaways as ‘electric’ Damian McKenzie makes latest All Blacks statement in comeback win
Damian McKenzie in action for the Chiefs with an inset of two Chiefs players celebrating
Following the Chiefs’ 35-19 victory over the Crusaders in the latest round of Super Rugby Pacific, here are our five key takeaways from a gripping New Zealand derby.
The top line
The Chiefs laid down another huge statement of their title credentials with a famous comeback win over the Crusaders.
They didn’t have it all their own way, though. The hosts raced into the lead after just six minutes thanks to an acrobatic finish from Tom Christie.
Trench warfare ensued after that, but the hosts managed to get their noses further in front with two tries from Scott Barrett and Antonio Shalfoon. These efforts were sandwiched with a Damian McKenzie penalty, making it 19-3.
But, that quickly became 19-10 as Emoni Narawa dotted down on the stroke of half-time.
That try ultimately proved a crucial turning point in the contest, as the Chiefs scored 25 unanswered points in the second-half.
McKenzie opened the scoring with a clever dart close to the line, and his try was swiftly followed by a try from Leroy Carter. McKenzie added six more points to his haul thanks to two further penalty kicks, before Wallace Sititi put the final nail in the coffin with a try in the final five minutes.
All Blacks injuries
All Blacks back Will Jordan was forced off just 20 minutes into the game with a knee injury, after receiving treatment on the pitch and heavy strapping too. He didn’t look in masses of pain, but it will undoubtedly worry All Blacks boss Scott Robertson with one eye on the upcoming Test season.
He wasn’t the only one either, with Tupou Vaa’i also picking up a knock to his knee. The lock did manage to get back to his feet after treatment, but he was swiftly taken off. It did seem more of a precaution, though, but it’s never good to see a player be taken off after receiving attention.
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Hopefully, it’s nothing serious for either player.
Bring back the biff
Something that gets thrown at Super Rugby is that defence is optional; today it was mandatory. Both teams just flew into each other with the desire and punch a game of this magnitude deserves.
Around that, too, the breakdown became a huge battle as the back-rowers went to town. Cullen Grace and Christie made themselves real nuisances in the first-half, and Chiefs counterparts Luke Jacobson and Sititi matched them in the second 40 too.
The packs also went toe-to-toe in the tight. Sititi – who was epic once again – was at his very best in the carry with 22 to his name, but throughout the match, Naitoa Ah Kuoi and Crusaders duo Codie Taylor and Grace also managed to make consistent dents. With the quality across the front-rows too, the scrums were another gripping contest.
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It was just a proper fire and brimstone game throughout, which is something this competition probably needed after recent blow-out scores in the past month.
DMac attack
All Blacks star McKenzie came under pressure for his All Blacks shirt last year, but if tonight was anything to go by he should be Razor’s man once again. The back was absolutely electric.
Everything good about the Chiefs’ attack came through the pocket-sized playmaker. Be it through a cheeky cross-field kick, a bullet pass right at the line or a delicious floated pass out wide, he just found different ways to unlock the Crusaders’ defence.
The Chiefs also looked to attack right from the get-go, rather than building through phases, and that played right into what McKenzie wanted to do. He would often slip back to 15 in defence, allowing him to be in position to collect a kick and start a counter-attack. But, when he got up off the floor, he effortlessly shifted back to 10 and gave the Chiefs their usual shape.
His own desire to get his hands on the ball in space finally told in his try, as he snapped back around to the short-side just as space opened up and he darted through to score. Really clever play, yet again, from McKenzie.
Around his usual flashes of attacking brilliance, he was metronomic off the tee with six of his eight kicks sailing through the uprights. That was also a big part of their second-half fightback, as he kept the board ticking over.
This 20-point haul and all-round quality performance will certainly please Razor.
What a difference a half makes
This was the ultimate game of two halves.
In the first 40, it was pure vintage Crusaders, and they looked for all the money like taking the spoils.
The Chiefs came out of the blocks really quickly, looking to pile on pressure, but the Crusaders’ defensive steel kept them at bay. This became a trend throughout, as the aggressive line-speed and serious anger in the contact forced the Chiefs into knock-ons just as they were about to pull the trigger, while the work of Grace and try-scorer Christie in the breakdown got them out of a pickle.
In turn, that fuelled the hosts’ confidence in the contest in the opening stanza, which quickly paid off with their three first-half scores.
But a Chiefs try on the stroke of half-time swung momentum towards the visitors, and they didn’t let go in the end.
They just dominated everything in the second 40, really powered by the aggressive work at the breakdown mixed with the sheer speed of their attack.
The Chiefs’ bench also made a massive impact, particularly from Samisoni Taukei’aho, but overall, they just proved too much for the Crusaders.
