Preview: Crusaders v British and Irish Lions

After losing to the weakest New Zealand franchise, the British and Irish Lions now face the best in the form of the Crusaders on Saturday.

Many expected it to be tough against the Super Rugby franchises, but after a difficult outing against the Provincial Barbarians, a defeat to the Blues has still sent shockwaves through the tourists, management and their supporters. How they respond is going to be key to confidence.

A loss in Christchurch, especially with the team Warren Gatland has picked, would be another psychological setback for the Lions, of that there is no doubt. Conor Murray, Owen Farrell, Liam Williams, George North, Taulupe Faletau, Tadhg Furlong and Mako Vunipola all come in, which was expected before the Blues defeat, but it is on the bench that creates interest as several big names are called upon once again.

Losing to a Blues side that has so often struggled to get over the finish line in Super Rugby has clearly given the Lions a jolt to their system and the sight of those seven top quality players emerging late on could play a significant role, Gatland will hope a victorious one.

But what they face is a squad rejuvenated following Scott Robertson’s arrival in the hot-seat. He took over from now Bath head coach Todd Blackadder ahead of this season and it’s been an outstanding 2017 thus far, with 14 wins from 14 seeing them set the pace in Super Rugby.

They have managed this without the services of Israel Dagg, Kieran Read, Seta Tamanivalu and Richie Mo’unga for large chunks of the year, which is testament to the depth in quality the side has. Recent All Black training call-up Jack Goodhue is one to hit the ground running.

Beating this Crusaders team has suddenly become a hugely difficult proposition and it’s interesting to see how the bookmakers have slashed their pre-tour odds from 15/8 down to 8/11 on a home win. This is another indication of the depth of quality currently playing in the country and if the Lions aren’t firing it will be back-to-back losses to Super Rugby sides, with more difficult games coming thick and fast. Then the knives will really be out.

Players to watch:

For Crusaders: He’s been taking the mid-to-late season by storm since returning from a hand injury. Crusaders fly-half Richie Mo’unga is a special talent and is sure to fill the gap left by Aaron Cruden when he leaves the All Black setup for the Top 14. Mo’unga’s running game has sliced opposition defences to pieces on numerous occasions in 2017 and we hope, for the Lions sake, they’ve done their homework on him. Also keep an eye on Codie Taylor at hooker who, with Dane Coles still on the sidelines, has a shot to put down a marker for the Test side.

For British and Irish Lions: A first Lions outing for George North, Jonathan Davies and Sean O’Brien on Saturday and all will be eager to hit the ground running following the team’s recent loss. This trio are more than capable of making the Test line-up and know that winning personal battles against their opposite numbers will be a must in Christchurch if they are to do so. Owen Farrell is also a vital player.

Head-to-head: Up front for this one as All Black Owen Franks takes on Mako Vunipola. Both are world class operators and the Lions will be eager to continue their scrum dominance they showed against the Blues this weekend. Franks is a stronger set-piece operator than Charlie Faumuina and is likely to start the first Test, but out of Vunipola and Jack McGrath remains a hard decision to call. Saturday could help decide Gatland’s mind as we all know Vunipola’s qualities in open play. Back it up with a dominant showing at the scrum and he’s surely in.

Prediction: Familiarity and confidence could play a big role on Saturday and while the Lions look strong, we go for the Crusaders by three.

The teams:

Crusaders: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Seta Tamanivalu, 13 Jack Goodhue, 12 David Havili, 11 George Bridge, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Bryn Hall, 8 Jordan Taufua, 7 Matt Todd, 6 Heiden Bedwell-Curtis, 5 Sam Whitelock (c), 4 Luke Romano, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Joe Moody
Replacements: 16 Ben Funnell, 17 Wyatt Crockett, 18 Michael Alaalatoa, 19 Quinten Strange, 20 Jed Brown, 21 Mitchell Drummond, 22 Mitchell Hunt, 23 Tim Bateman

British and Irish Lions: 15 Stuart Hogg, 14 George North, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Ben Te’o, 11 Liam Williams, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Sean O’Brien, 6 Peter O’Mahony, 5 George Kruis, 4 Alun Wyn Jones (c), 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Jamie George, 1 Mako Vunipola
Replacements: 16 Ken Owens, 17 Jack McGrath, 18 Dan Cole, 19 Maro Itoje, 20 CJ Stander, 21 Rhys Webb, 22 Johnny Sexton, 23 Anthony Watson

Date: Saturday, June 10
Venue: AMI Stadium, Christchurch
Kick-off: 19:35 local (07:35 GMT)
Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)
Assistant Referees: Angus Gardner (Australia), Pascal Gauzère (France)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)