Super Rugby Pacific: Crusaders boss gives forthright response after victory over Hurricanes
Crusaders head coach Rob Penney.
Crusaders head coach Rob Penney has downplayed his side’s performance after their 33-25 victory in their Super Pacific encounter with the Hurricanes in Christchurch on Friday.
The triumph was a momentous one for Super Rugby’s most successful side after they had a forgetful 2024 campaign but Penney is not get overly excited with the result.
Penney replaced current All Blacks coach Scott Robertson, who led the Crusaders to a remarkable seven successive Super Rugby titles, but struggled in the position as his side finished in ninth position from 12 teams.
It meant the men from Christchurch missed out on the play-offs as they won four out of 14 matches and only finished above the Waratahs, Moana Pasifika and Western Force.
Poor start proved costly
What led to the Crusaders’ downfall in 2024 was a poor start to the season as they only won their first match of that campaign in Round Six which puts their Friday’s win over the Hurricanes into perspective.
“Look, I’m a very competitive individual myself and I hate losing. It’s one victory in a long campaign, we’re not getting too carried away with it,” Penney told Stuff when asked what the win meant to him.
The Crusaders came into their season opener whilst being in the midst of an injury crisis as they had 13 players unavailable for the Hurricanes clash which made their victory even sweeter.
And while Penney savoured the win, he is already preparing for the Crusaders’ next Super Rugby Pacific assignment.
“We’ve got a massive challenge next week up in Hamilton [against the Chiefs]. But for the boys, the most important thing for me is they will get a bit of confidence and belief,” he said.
Delighted for Crusaders’ fans
“Just really special to get the win at home for the spectators, that’s what I am rapt about. And I guess, as a by-product, I’m happy.”
The Crusaders’ injury woes worsened when All Blacks scrum-half Noah Hotham hobbled off the field with an ankle injury after just eight minutes but his replacement Kyle Preston stole the show as he scored a hat-trick of tries which left Penney delighted.
“What a champion performance, but when you are running 4min 13sec Broncos [fitness test], you’re going to have plenty of fuel in the tank,” he remarked.
“We trust him, we got him here for a reason. Not only did he score those three tries, he also box kicked really well at crucial times and distributed really well.”
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