Crusaders 2023
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@Chris-B said in Crusaders 2023:
@KiwiMurph said in Crusaders 2023:
@Chris-B still a formidable 23.
Far from terrible, but Moody, Newell, Grace, Havili and Reece in the starting XV would be significantly stronger - and the bench would get better as well.
Front row worries me against the top teams.
Test will be if we lose more players, because we're getting stretched in plenty of places.
Surely Havili wont be available. That looked a fairly decent hammy pull.
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@Crucial Can't see it - unless he flies to Fiji for that special leaf treatment that Naholo(?) got.
If it's not as bad as it looked and if Dave is a fast healer he might get back late in the piece if we're still alive.
I guess that's the miracle they're talking of.
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https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/super-rugby/300893160/crusaders-call-on-another-former-all-black-as-injury-crisis-deepens Pretty descent cover, from a Crusader legend 151 games, even has a stand named after him, wonder how that will work in the new stadium.
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Crusaders midfielder David Havili won’t feature in the Super Rugby Pacific playoffs and is likely to miss the All Blacks’ July tests due to injury.
The Crusaders confirmed Havili (hamstring) and loose forward Cullen Grace (knee) would miss Saturday’s final round match against the Hurricanes in Wellington.
Havili’s injury is expected to sideline him for two months, while Grace has also played his last Super Rugby match of this year. -
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Think Dylan Nel is training with them too
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Crusaders stalwart Ryan Crotty was a conspicious presence at Wednesday's training, but was merely making up the numbers. If signed, he'd only be eligible to play the final round robin match.
The same goes for veteran John Afoa, who answered an SOS for the Crusaders last weekend after Moody became the latest to fall in their propping stocks.
Afoa isn't eligible to play in the finals but will be available against the Hurricanes this weekend.
Super Rugby Pacific: Crusaders' All Blacks duo David Havili, Cullen Grace confirmed out for rest of season | Newshub
David Havili and Cullen Grace will play no further part in the defending champions' season.
I wonder how they're going to solve the problem at prop, with Afoa not eligible. -
Do you know what the rule is? Was there a certain number of games he had to play to be eligible?
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@Stargazer said in Crusaders 2023:
Afoa isn't eligible to play in the finals but will be available against the Hurricanes this weekend.
But the article didn't say why not ie what are the rules that make them both ineligible
Thankfully they both aren't eligible though. As it makes SRP a bit farcical if one team recruits players from other teams (that have finished a competition) just before the finals. What's the difference between bringing in Crotty for eg as opposed to bringing in say Smith if the Highlanders don't make the final's. Crusaders shouldn't be allowed to use their position (having the future AB coach as coach or enough money or whatever) to do this.
And the Crusaders will just have to do what other teams do. Make do with players they have got. And if they are short of prop's tough luck. They have had enough warning to bring in the best NPC props to get them up to speed. Canes often make do with rubbish players. Like our replacement hooker.
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@Winger What a load of cr#p. The Crusaders aren't in a different position from other franchise because Robertson is the future ABs head coach. How do you even make that sh*t up? The rules are the same for every team and you would be in favour of bringing in experienced players from overseas if it was the Hurricanes being faced with all but one contracted prop being ruled out for the season.
Afoa was an emergency signing, not some kind of luxury signing. Other teams aren't in this situation, but if they were, they'd do exactly the same thing. Robertson has explained that they had investigated the availability of suitable props in NZ and there wasn't anyone available. The best NPC props, the next in the queue, are playing overseas. There's one at the Highlanders, and the rest isn't ready for SR level. If you had understood previous posts about this, you'd know it's a great health risks for club level props (which those currently available are, even if they play NPC), to let them play SR level rugby. The difference is too big. It's not just conditioning. It's a lot more than that.
Too bad, you can't complain about players not being ABs eligible anymore aye?
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@Duluth said in Crusaders 2023:
Do you know what the rule is? Was there a certain number of games he had to play to be eligible?
I vaguely remember the Chiefs couldn't use Messam several years ago, because he came back from overseas and hadn't played 3 round robin games before the finals? I think it was something like that.
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So they'll be able to call up a prop from within the NZ system in the finals (if they still have injury problems)
They probably should've done that from the start. Then they'd have someone who has been with them for a while and has already had a cameo
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@Stargazer These are the 2021 rules, but it says
Have been named in the match day 23 on at least one occasion in the current
regular season. If a Player from outside the teams official squad hasn’t been
named in the match day 23 on at least one occasion in the current regular
season, then in order to be eligible to play in the Final they must seek (and
be granted) dispensation from the respective National Union and SANZAR.
Such dispensation will only be granted in exceptional circumstances where,
for example, the ability of the Team to name a match day 23 is compromised
by injuries to otherwise eligible players in that Player’s position and health and
safety considerations.I doubt the Crusaders would have bothered flying in Afoa if they weren't going to be able to use him in the play-offs?
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@Duluth They have done that with Sykes-Martin. Seb Calder is also an Academy player. And now Rueben O'Neill.
There's not that much choice. They've been scraping an empty barrel. Several NZ props that would have otherwise been called upon, are now playing in the MLR.
