Following the Crusaders’ 21-14 triumph over the Blues in their Super Rugby Pacific semi-final clash at Apollo Projects Stadium in Christchurch on Friday, Planet Rugby picks out five takeaways from the thrilling action.
The top line
With this being a battle between New Zealand’s traditional heavyweights and with plenty at stake, both teams gave their all in a bid to gain the ascendancy
This match had all the ingredients of a huge play-off battle, and the result was in the balance until the game’s closing stages, but the Crusaders got over the line in the end.
The opening exchanges were cagey, but the Blues soon took control of proceedings and were rewarded with the opening try in the 11th minute as Beauden Barrett found Mark Tele’a with a beautiful long pass and the All Blacks wing rounded off out wide. Barrett added the extras.
Midway through the half, the visitors extended their lead when Tele’a turned provider as he offloaded to Rieko Ioane, who dotted down under the posts for a converted try, which gave his team a 14-0 lead.
The Crusaders needed a response, which came in the 24th minute when Tom Christie scored their opening try from close quarters, before another five-pointer from Will Jordan in the latter stages of the half meant the sides were level at 14-14 at the interval.
The second half was a real arm wrestle, as the two sides went at each other hammer and tongs as they tried to gain the upper hand, but both sides came to the fore with excellent defence during that period.
That meant we had to wait until the 70th minute for the next points to be scored, with Jordan again popping up with the crucial try for the home side, which proved to be the match-winning score in the end.
The Blues launched several attacks inside the Crusaders’ 22 in the game’s dying moments, but their opponents kept them at bay with a resilient defensive effort, which booked their place in this year’s Super Rugby Pacific final.
Crusaders’ forward dominance paves the way to victory
Although the Blues were fastest out of the blocks as they raced into that 14-0 lead, the Crusaders soaked up that early pressure and soon took control of proceedings with their outstanding forwards leading the way.
The starting All Blacks front-row of George Bower, Codie Taylor and Fletcher Newell were outstanding in the execution of their core duties, especially in the scrums where they dominated proceedings.
Apart from sending their opponents backwards a few times, the hosts’ front-row also won several penalties at the set-piece, while Taylor also impressed with his throw-ins to the lineouts.
The rest of the pack were also superb, with Ethan Blackadder leading the way on defence while fellow back-rowers Christian Lio-Willie and Tom Christie and the second-row duo of Scott Barrett and Antonio Shalfoon also gave him good support in that department.
Meanwhile, Lio-Willie also led the charge on attack as he gained a match-high 46 metres from 10 carries, which included three defenders beaten, while the likes of Bower and Taylor also impressed as ball carriers.
Will Jordan back to his best
After showing glimpses of his brilliance upon his return to action, recovering from a knee injury in last weekend’s play-off victory over the Reds, the 27-year-old built on that display with a brilliant attacking performance against the Blues.
Jordan showed his class just before half-time when he beat three defenders with quick feet deep inside Blues territory before crossing the whitewash for his first try.
And he proved to be the match-winner when, with the sides deadlocked at 14-14, he barged over from close quarters in the 70th minute.
He illustrated why he is the All Blacks’ first-choice full-back as he was safe under the high ball and did what was expected of him on defence when the Blues made some line breaks, which wasn’t very often, but he made his biggest impact on attack.
He finished the match with a 10-point contribution courtesy of those two five-pointers after he gained 35 metres from a match-high 14 runs, which included 2 defenders beaten.
His impressive form will be a huge factor in next weekend’s final in Christchurch against the Chiefs or the Brumbies.
Blues discipline proves costly
Despite their impressive start, the men from Auckland were their own worst enemy in the disciplinary stakes as they conceded a plethora of penalties, which was a huge factor in the bigger scheme of things.
The tournament’s defending champions displayed plenty of confidence early on, but they lost their way as the match progressed, and their ill-discipline cost them dearly in the end.
Whether it was at the breakdowns, in the scrums or just when defending, the Auckland-based outfit struggled to keep their composure, and inevitably they were punished by referee Paul Williams.
In the end, the Blues’ poor discipline was a big reason for their downfall, and when the match finished, they had conceded 16 penalties to the Crusaders’ nine, which tells a story of its own of where this game was ultimately won and lost.
Ethan Blackadder empties the tank on defence
While Jordan’s excellence on attack was a highlight of this encounter, so was the brilliant defensive performance from fellow All Blacks star Blackadder, who was machine-like in that department.
Blackadder was in the thick of the action from the outset and led the way on defence for the Crusaders as he put his body on the line for the full 80 minutes.
His defensive shift thwarted several of the Blues’ attacks, especially in the game’s dying moments when the men from Auckland were camped inside the Crusaders’ 22 as they went in search of a converted try to draw level in a bid to take the game into extra-time.
However, it wasn’t to be, and it was largely down to the efforts of Blackadder, who really gave his all defensively, and when the match came to an end after 80 minutes, the 30-year-old had made a whopping 31 tackles!
To put his effort into context, Springboks back-row Pieter Steph du Toit made 28 hits in the 2023 Rugby World Cup final against the All Blacks.
Apart from his defensive masterclass, Blackadder also shone in other facets of play as he was a willing ball carrier as well as a valuable source of possession for the home side in the lineouts.
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/crusaders-v-blues-five-takeaways-as-will-jordan-shows-his-class-while-machine-like-all-blacks-star-sets-up-hosts-win-with-defensive-masterclass
