Rugby: Late Sydney loss fuel for All Black fire

Adam Ashley-Cooper of the Waratahs scores a try during the Super Rugby Grand Final match between the Waratahs and the Crusaders. Photo / Getty Images

Evidently the Waratahs didn't hand any advantage to the Crusaders by shifting the final to Olympic Park. But they may have done the All Blacks a favour as it was clear that a few key test men left ANZ Stadium last night with an eagerness to come back in two weeks and set the record straight.

The pain of defeat felt by Kieran Read and Richie McCaw in particular was obvious. This whole business of the Crusaders being forever the bridesmaid, sometimes not even that, and never the bride, is as perplexing to them as it is galling.

Somehow the Crusaders have been recast as the nearly men when, for 13 seasons, they were the everything men. They were the Germany of rugby - the team who after 80 minutes would win - out of habit. Out of instinct. Out of sheer willpower.

Quite how they came to be more like the Dutch than the Germans is a mystery they don't appear to be able to solve. The Crusaders, after a poor start where they were nervous and disorganised, clawed their way back into the contest with some solidity, accuracy and structure.

A mix of cohesion, brutality and flair brought them to the brink of victory but they fell short by one critical play. When it mattered, the Crusaders didn't do what they had to do.

But levelling accusations that some of their individuals don't perform well under pressure is a tough line to make stick. Most of their experienced men have shown time and time again with the All Blacks that they can perform under the most intense pressure. Nearly half their starting XV were involved in the World Cup final and just about as many were instrumental in ensuring the All Blacks escaped from Dublin last year with a victory.

That certainty within men such as Read and McCaw, Sam Whitelock, Owen Franks and Dan Carter that they can win big games is why there was a "just wait" edge in their answers to questions about whether any links could be made between the Waratahs winning and the Bledisloe clash.

"I'm sure you guys will make a big deal out of that," said Read when asked about the prospect of the Wallabies being boosted by the result in the final. "Probably have already. It's completely different teams."

McCaw was similarly inclined. "It's pretty hard to think about that now [the Bledisloe test] when you are hurting with a bunch of mates that we have done a fair bit together this year. I guess, though, we will get into next week and there is probably a silver lining that you get another crack back here."

The inference was clear - the result in the final had direct meaning only to the Crusaders and Waratahs.

But there will be indirect spin-offs for the All Blacks. Inevitably, coming back to the same ground with the hurt of Super Rugby still raw, the Crusaders' All Blacks are going to want to make amends on August 16.

It won't rewrite history, but beating the Wallabies will give them some sort of emotional vindication.