The Crusaders have received a shot in the arm after it was confirmed that David Havili, Scott Barrett and Tamaiti Williams will return to action for Saturday’s clash with the Hurricanes in Wellington.
All Blacks skipper Barrett and Williams are back after being rested for last week’s victory over the Fijian Drua in Suva while Havili has recovered from an Achilles niggle which has kept him one the sidelines for the past two weeks.
Crusaders head coach Rob Penney has made several alterations after their win over the Drua with Havili coming in to captain the side from inside centre and he is joined in midfield by Levi Aumua.
Crusaders boost
Havili’s return will be a boost for the Crusaders. The 30-year-old is viewed as a favourite of Scott Robertson due to the All Blacks head coach’s Crusaders connection.
That was evident during the All Blacks’ 2024 Test season when Robertson selected Havili for a few Tests despite him not being at his best during a poor Super Rugby Pacific campaign with the Crusaders.
With Aumua starting at outside centre it means Sevu Reece returns to the left wing after wearing the number 13 jersey against the Drua and he is joined in the back three by fellow All Black Will Jordan (full-back) and Chay Fihaki (right wing).
The backline is completed by Taha Kemara and Noah Hotham who are the starting half-backs.
In the forwards, Barrett returns to the second-row where he will pack down alongside Jamie Hannah while Christian Lio-Willie (number eight), Ethan Blackadder and Cullen Grace (flankers) will start in the back-row.
Meanwhile, Williams and Fletcher Newell are the starting props while Ioane Moananu slots in at hooker.
Penney is delighted that Havili is back in the matchday squad to lead the men from Christchurch.
“We know he’s world class in his leadership and is without a doubt influencing the team greatly and having his maturity, calmness and playing ability out in the midfield is going to strengthen us significantly,” he said.
The head coach admitted that he was tempted to retain Reece at outside centre.
“Sevu did a good job at centre, we were rapt with the way he went but we’ve gone with the tried-and-true combo of Dave and Levi,” he added.
Crusaders team to face the Hurricanes
Crusaders: 15 Will Jordan, 14 Chay Fihaki, 13 Levi Aumua, 12 David Havili (c), 11 Sevu Reece, 10 Taha Kemara, 9 Noah Hotham, 8 Christian Lio-Willie, 7 Ethan Blackadder, 6 Cullen Grace, 5 Jamie Hannah, 4 Scott Barrett, 3 Fletcher Newell, 2 Ioane Moananu, 1 Tamaiti Williams
Replacements: 16 Matt Moulds, 17 George Bower, 18 Kershawl Sykes-Martin, 19 Antonio Shalfoon, 20 Tom Christie, 21 Mitchell Drummond, 22 James O’Connor, 23 Macca Springer
Date: Friday, April 11
Venue: Sky Stadium, Wellington
Kick-off: 19:05 local (08:05 BST, 07:05 GMT)
Referee: James Doleman (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Todd Petrie (New Zealand), Fraser Hannon (New Zealand)
TMO: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)
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Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/scott-robertson-favourite-one-of-three-all-blacks-stars-to-return-for-big-new-zealand-derby
