Will Jordan hailed as ‘a bit of a unique freak’ after Crusaders’ Super Rugby Pacific win over Hurricanes
Crusaders head coach Rob Penney and full-back Will Jordan.
All Blacks star Will Jordan showed the Crusaders what they were missing last year when he delivered a superb performance in their triumph over the Hurricanes in Christchurch on Friday.
After being ruled out due to a shoulder injury which kept him on the sidelines for entire 2024 Super Rugby Pacific campaign, Jordan hit the ground running upon his return to the competition and played a leading role as the home side clinched a 33-25 victory.
Jordan‘s absence in 2024 was keenly felt by the Crusaders as they struggled to gain momentum and eventually failed to reach the Super Rugby play-offs for the first time since 2015.
Caught the eye with his distribution skills
However, he was one of the men from Christchurch’s stars against the Hurricanes and although the try-scoring machine did not cross the whitewash, he proved a constant threat on attack and showed off his distribution skills.
The 26-year-old caught the eye with an outstanding line break which set up one of replacement scrum-half Kyle Preston’s three tries and he was also involved in the build up to All Blacks winger Sevu Reece’s try.
Crusaders head coach Rob Penney couldn’t hide his delight when speaking of Jordan’s impact on the match.
“He’s a phenomenal rugby player,” Penney told 1News. “That’s why he’s one of the best in the world. We missed him terribly last year.
“He’s a bit of a unique freak in a number of areas, as we know. He’s got the capability of helping people around him flourish. When he gets the ball he’s a magnet for defenders and his distribution today was really efficient.
Backing Jordan to improve
“He’ll get better. He got 40 minutes last week, as all the All Blacks did, and they’ll steadily improve.”
Apart from Jordan’s excellent showing, the performance of the Crusaders’ inexperienced half-backs – Preston and Taha Kemara – were also impressive.
Preston had big boots to fill when he came on to make his Super Rugby Pacific debut after just eight minutes as a replacement for All Blacks scrum-half Noah Hotham.
He made a big impact as he scored a hat-trick of tries and what made his performance extra special is that it was against the Hurricanes, who did not include them in their squad despite him playing his provincial rugby for the Wellington Lions.
“When you’re running 4 minute 13 broncos you’re going to have plenty of fuel in the tank,” said Penney. “We trust him, we got him here for a reason. Not only did he score those three tries, he also box kicked really at crucial times and distributed really well.”
Meanwhile, Wallabies utility back James O’Connor also made his Crusaders debut off the bench when he replaced Kemara in the 58th minute. O’Connor was impressed by his younger team-mate’s display.
“Taha’s got game, that’s for sure,” said the experienced playmaker. “I love watching him play and training with him and trying to keep up with him. He’s a livewire.
“The way he handled the pressure at the start – four penalties in a row and a yellow card – I thought he really steadied the ship.”
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