Crusaders v Blues
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@taniwharugby if Blues fans can’t get excited after beating the team that has been the yardstick for success in recent times in NZ, when can we?
An away win (used to be impossible against all NZ teams), a hoodoo from 2004, and an often cancelled fixture.
As a sports fan it as good as it gets. How good will the next matchup be?
All this talk about waning interest in this comp, these sorts of rivalries is what gets it back.
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@kirwan no one says they cant be excited about it, just a big difference between most fans and many of the trolls on Talk Back or Social media.
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@pakman said in Crusaders v Blues:
Just rewatched 3rd quarter. In first ten minutes Blues right on top. Went out to 24-10, and then hot on attack and would have probably had another 5 but for ball slipping out of Perofeta's hands as he was about to deliver decisive pass.
Then big run from Ofa ended in strip around Chch 22.Clearance from Mo'unga earns 50:22, from which maul leads to Reece try. Huge swing.
Good counter ruck from Blues reaches Saders 22, but another excellent RM clearance, couple of favorable interpretations from ref, and a Perofeta miss on Reece and it's 18-24 when it so easily could/should have been 10-29 and game over.
Will watch last quarter and revert...
3 locks down before the match started and then the Red card. Very weakened at hooker at the moment too.
Bryn Hall was very poor, his aimless & inaccurate kicking cost at least 7 points and the last Blues try scored against 13. That said, Auckland deserved winners on the night. The Crusaders have a significant injury toll and with a Red and Yc still almost grabbed the win. -
@kiwi_expat said in Crusaders v Blues:
@pakman said in Crusaders v Blues:
Just rewatched 3rd quarter. In first ten minutes Blues right on top. Went out to 24-10, and then hot on attack and would have probably had another 5 but for ball slipping out of Perofeta's hands as he was about to deliver decisive pass.
Then big run from Ofa ended in strip around Chch 22.Clearance from Mo'unga earns 50:22, from which maul leads to Reece try. Huge swing.
Good counter ruck from Blues reaches Saders 22, but another excellent RM clearance, couple of favorable interpretations from ref, and a Perofeta miss on Reece and it's 18-24 when it so easily could/should have been 10-29 and game over.
Will watch last quarter and revert...
3 locks down before the match started and then the Red card. Very weakened at hooker at the moment too.
Bryn Hall was very poor, his aimless & inaccurate kicking cost at least 7 points and the last Blues try scored against 13. That said, Auckland deserved winners on the night. The Crusaders have a significant injury toll and with a Red and Yc still almost grabbed the win.I guess that confirms that the Crusader depth isn't what it once was? A few injuries never used to bother them much (like what all teams are currently experiencing, including the Blues - note the rookie halfback on the bench, Heem at 12, no Akira, etc, etc)
As for winning while down to 13, Blues showed how to do that the previous week against the Chiefs.
Not to mention the last Crusaders try was complete bullshit. Taylor got back to his feet while still held, and Reece knocked the ball on. Made the game exciting though in the end.
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@taniwharugby said in Crusaders v Blues:
@kirwan no one says they cant be excited about it, just a big difference between most fans and many of the trolls on Talk Back or Social media.
Winger was
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@Dice said in Crusaders v Blues:
But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.
Disgusting. Worst than Robbie singing Advance Australia Fair
😉
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@ACT-Crusader said in Crusaders v Blues:
@Dice said in Crusaders v Blues:
But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.
Disgusting. Worst than Robbie singing Advance Australia Fair
😉
Rangi was pretty pumped at full time too.
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HQ Crusaders vs Satellite Crusaders ....meh....either way is a win for Canterbury people
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@Old-Samurai-Jack yeah it's almost as though the Blues are the new Ta$man.
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Q4 Rewatch.
First thing to say is that both teams played some very good footy in the period, but Blues were just a bit better when it counted.
Some specific points:
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Blues kicking. After the game I was very critical of BB and by association Sullivan for poor kicking. But on analysis there was only one poor kick in period, BB's chip kick around 67 which went to Drummond on Chch 10m line, and he passed to Jordan who took advantage of the misaligned Blues 'D' (they hadn't expected chip). He made a good 30m, and this led quickly to Reece try, albeit via an earlier regather, having knocked ball 5 feet forward and with hint of Blues touch which would have made it a knock on.
Other big Chch gain off a kick was where they spread it wide to edge near their 22 and Lester chipped to Blues 10m line. That one was allowed to bounce (wickedly) and Chch regathered going deep into Blues 22. Then BB charge down with Jordan knock in goal which wasn't checked. But Blues kick itself was actually good!
All that said, it was the case that Ritchie was getting more distance on punts than BB. -
Red card period ran through to 67. At 63 Blues awarded penalty and took the 3. At the time I thought that was feeble, and after rewatch I'm convinced. Blues still had the momentum, and with the extra man ought to have kicked to corner. Another try would have been match winner. They got the 3, but failure to press the advantage exposed their mental frailty, which wouldn't have gone unnoticed and offered ray of hope to oppo.
Once the Red card period finished Chch were reinvigorated, whereas Blues looked like they were in 'hold on' mode. -
Last 8 minutes. It was 23-27 and all to play for. At 73.30 Christie knocked himself out and that definitely weakened Blues. At 74 Sullivan kicked 22 to 22, and close to touch (see above), but Chch with the lucky bounce off Lester chip went the length of the field back. From there they threw the proverbial kitchen sink at Blues, as one would expect. To their immense credit Blues D was indomitable and legal. The Ioane/Paps tackle got the raps, but the last 4 minutes were a case of they shall not pass: bravo!
So Blues better than I thought, but IMO key lesson was not to become too tentative when Chch were still man down. That said, BB is no closer. That chip was a totally unnecessary gamble and had he just nudged the ball into the corner I very much doubt we'd have seem the Chch fightback.
Kudos, though, to Chch. Outplayed for most of match, at the point when the oppo showed a lack of confidence, and gave them a chink of light, they stormed back like the champions they've been.
Can only hope for more such derbies from here...
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