Crusaders 2024
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@Crazy-Horse said in Crusaders 2024:
Finding a decent 10 and midfield would go a long way to sorting out some onfield problems. Easier said than done though.
That will get sorted.
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@Cyclops Quite a bit for the lucky version of the team would have depended on how well Fergus Burke developed over the season.
To state the obvious, Mo'unga was a massive loss. To quantify it (and there's a slight discrepancy in the data I could find - I suspect around the B&I Lions game) - Razor lost 17 games as Crusaders' coach. 10 when Moúnga was starting and 7 when he wasn't.
Razor's win&draw record is something like 88% when Richie played and 68% when he didn't. I'm not surprised he wants him for the ABs.
So Penney had to cope with the loss of possibly the most influential player in Super rugby ever - and his replacement options kind of rapidly declined through Burke (who you might have hoped would be among the top 5 first fives in NZ) to Reihana (hope for top 10) to Kemara (top 15) to Hohepa (hopefully 16th).
In my mind this is the biggest issue to be resolved in the offseason.
Better luck with injuries and absences will make a significant difference - you'd hope to get a lot more use collectively out of Will Jordan, Scott Barrett, Tamaiti Williams, Ethan Blackadder, Codie Taylor, Christian Lio-Willie, Brayden Ennor and Zach Gallagher.
These guys will make a significant difference....
...firstly to lineout and lineout drive, which was the single-most worst thing this year. It was a shambles and it was pretty appalling how long it took the coaches to rectify this. In my mind, scoring from the lineout drive is like putting in golf - it's where you make your money. Getting Codie Taylor back to do the throwing certainly helped - and along with a taller loose trio, I think the additional height of Shalfoon was significant as well. With our strongest pack on the park this shouldn't be an issue!
For most of the season, the backline looked a mess. Somehow Sevu Reece managed to score a shitload of tries, but without Mo'unga, Jordan and Big Leicester, there weren't enough threats and what threats there were seemed to be poorly deployed. They didn't seem to have much of a plan for putting Aumua into space or against weak shoulders - or in the early games - even giving him the ball.
The backline alignment looked wrong to me - they seemed to be standing too deep (they looked like a league backline) - allowing defences just to drift and smother the outside backs. But, too many role-players and glue guys - and not enough genuine firepower. Hotham and Fihaki both improved significantly and FAB Johnny was surprisingly good.
The defence was sieve-like - we conceded nearly 100 points more than last year. And some of the core skills were lacking in too many players as we fumbled and bumbled and generally found strange ways to lose games!
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@chchfanatic said in Crusaders 2024:
@Chris I was sitting next to mansbridge one night at the casino. He had no idea who I was and who I’m connected too. I probed him on a few things. He’d obviously had a few onboard so was quite forthcoming with his answers. He came across as quite arrogant.
I don’t think it’s a happy coaching box from what I’ve heard.
As bad a season as we’ve had , we still should’ve made at least the playoffs. I’m glad now that we didn’t as it will hopefully bring change. Will be interesting who is back in the squad next year. Maybe a couple of Japanese imports.DuPont wants to have a crack at Super Rugby
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@Crazy-Horse to be fair I should’ve said who I am. I am known around Christchurch rugby. Also my source is pretty well known around rugby circles in NZ.
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@chchfanatic said in Crusaders 2024:
@Crazy-Horse to be fair I should’ve said who I am. I am known around Christchurch rugby. Also my source is pretty well known around rugby circles in NZ.
Yes mate a very good source it is too.
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@Crazy-Horse said in Crusaders 2024:
Finding a decent 10 and midfield would go a long way to sorting out some onfield problems. Easier said than done though.
Midfield? There’s already 3 All Blacks and an All Blacks XV player in there…
Havili
McLeod
Ennor
AumuaMidfield is in pretty good hands in my opinion. They just don’t have a world class 10 making the midfielders life easier. Frustrating for fans so you could only imagine how frustrating it is for the players. Midfield will be just fine. Just need a 10 who can be consistent, doesn’t have to be a world beater.
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@Landers92 said in Crusaders 2024:
@Crazy-Horse said in Crusaders 2024:
Finding a decent 10 and midfield would go a long way to sorting out some onfield problems. Easier said than done though.
Midfield? There’s already 3 All Blacks and an All Blacks XV player in there…
Havili
McLeod
Ennor
AumuaMidfield is in pretty good hands in my opinion. They just don’t have a world class 10 making the midfielders life easier. Frustrating for fans so you could only imagine how frustrating it is for the players. Midfield will be just fine. Just need a 10 who can be consistent, doesn’t have to be a world beater.
Not sure I rate the midfield options as high as you do. I have never liked DH at 12 and the jury is still out on Ennor at 13. To me he is a poor man's RI. Aumua was a complete and utter bust (who knows, with a better 10 they may work out how to use him) and McLeod is looking more like his old self where he was barely NPC level. The options are fine if the Saders want to stay a middling team but the they are lacking the class midfielder to take the backline to the next level.
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@Crazy-Horse said in Crusaders 2024:
@Landers92 said in Crusaders 2024:
@Crazy-Horse said in Crusaders 2024:
Finding a decent 10 and midfield would go a long way to sorting out some onfield problems. Easier said than done though.
Midfield? There’s already 3 All Blacks and an All Blacks XV player in there…
Havili
McLeod
Ennor
AumuaMidfield is in pretty good hands in my opinion. They just don’t have a world class 10 making the midfielders life easier. Frustrating for fans so you could only imagine how frustrating it is for the players. Midfield will be just fine. Just need a 10 who can be consistent, doesn’t have to be a world beater.
Not sure I rate the midfield options as high as you do. I have never liked DH at 12 and the jury is still out on Ennor at 13. To me he is a poor man's RI. Aumua was a complete and utter bust (who knows, with a better 10 they may work out how to use him) and McLeod is looking more like his old self where he was barely NPC level. The options are fine if the Saders want to stay a middling team but the they are lacking the class midfielder to take the backline to the next level.
Yeah I’ve got to disagree there. That’s the midfield that the Crusaders had when they won multiple super rugby titles(with Goodhue involved here and there too).
If I were a Crusaders fan I would be pretty confident that with a better 10, the midfield would be a lot better next year. It’s going to be interesting to see how Ennor is when he returns, he’s had some pretty horrendous injuries in his fairly short career.
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I'll swap those midfielders and give the Saders ours.
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@SouthernMann said in Crusaders 2024:
I'll swap those midfielders and give the Saders ours.
No thanks.
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@Crazy-Horse said in Crusaders 2024:
@SouthernMann said in Crusaders 2024:
I'll swap those midfielders and give the Saders ours.
No thanks.
See doesn't seem so bad, when you compare them to the cattle of the slightly better team from down SH1
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@Landers92 said in Crusaders 2024:
@Crazy-Horse said in Crusaders 2024:
Finding a decent 10 and midfield would go a long way to sorting out some onfield problems. Easier said than done though.
Midfield? There’s already 3 All Blacks and an All Blacks XV player in there…
Havili
McLeod
Ennor
AumuaMidfield is in pretty good hands in my opinion. They just don’t have a world class 10 making the midfielders life easier. Frustrating for fans so you could only imagine how frustrating it is for the players. Midfield will be just fine. Just need a 10 who can be consistent, doesn’t have to be a world beater.
None of the super rugby teams have a world class ten, DMac the best but his style often didn't suit test rugby, tho he can do amazing things.
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So what happens at 10 next year? They seemed to throw Kemara to the side this year, do you just give him the keys and time to develop in the position, like the Highlanders have with Cam Millar with Faleafaga as back up? Or does David Havili get the 10 spot from the start?
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@African-Monkey We're going to bring back a certain well-known, experienced and match winning Crusaders first-five from Japan.
Welcome back Mitch Hunt!
I think if you were going to give the keys to one of the first fives on the books, I'd give them to Rivez, but there's a fair degree of risk to that. I can't really see the point of moving Dave Havili, since he's our best second five and he'll be 30 when next season rolls around.
I'd be extremely surprised if overtures to Mo'unga for next season are successful, but if it happens that he doesn't really like Japan - then maybe they might lure him back a year early - once his bank account is suitably padded. In which case, maybe we jut bite the bullet with Reihana and Kemara for a year.
Overall, though, I'm inclined to think we need to sign someone a bit better.
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@Machpants said in Crusaders 2024:
@Landers92 said in Crusaders 2024:
@Crazy-Horse said in Crusaders 2024:
Finding a decent 10 and midfield would go a long way to sorting out some onfield problems. Easier said than done though.
Midfield? There’s already 3 All Blacks and an All Blacks XV player in there…
Havili
McLeod
Ennor
AumuaMidfield is in pretty good hands in my opinion. They just don’t have a world class 10 making the midfielders life easier. Frustrating for fans so you could only imagine how frustrating it is for the players. Midfield will be just fine. Just need a 10 who can be consistent, doesn’t have to be a world beater.
None of the super rugby teams have a world class ten, DMac the best but his style often didn't suit test rugby, tho he can do amazing things.
I never said any of the other super rugby teams did. I’m talking about previous seasons when you had Richie Mounga…
My point stands about the midfield. With a better 10 they are a top midfield in the comp, you won’t see a lot of change in those positions next season.
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@Chris-B thing is, it was a perfect storm for the Crusaders at 10...
Losing one of thier best, then his his back up injured, leaving rookies to run the ship under a coach who was always on a hiding to nothing losing several key players to injury, trying to put a bit of his own style on the team following one of the best super coaches in a team that has pretty much always been at the top of the tree.
Either Reihana or Kemara would have flourished last year under Razor and behind Mounga...going forward they need to commit to one of them (or whatever other rookie they choose) f they can't attract a high profile player.
