Blues captain Dalton Papali'i admits last year's grand final loss still hurts. Photo / Photosport
Blues captain Dalton Papali'i admits last year's grand final loss still hurts. Photo / Photosport
A grand final rematch. Lingering, simmering tensions. A rare, genuine rugby rivalry that has stood the test of time. The dented defending champions with their credentials on the line. It all conspires to conjure Super Rugby’s headline act returning to Eden Park.
Eight months on from the Crusaders’ crushing victoryin last year’s finale that left visible scars for the Blues, hostilities resume at the same venue on Saturday.
For many in the Blues, captain Dalton Papali’i included, the hurt from that result remains.
“Yeah it is — I can’t lie,” Papali’i said. “That’s more an ember inside that’s burning away. Sometimes you’ve got to put that aside. You can’t let emotion take over. You’ve got to focus on the job at hand.”
Blues coach Leon MacDonald, the former Crusaders fullback who switched allegiance to transform the Auckland franchise over the past five years, set the scene by reflecting on the longstanding friction between Cantabrians and Aucklanders.
“It’s one of the great rivalries and that goes back before Super Rugby to the Canterbury and Auckland days and the [Ranfurly] Shield eras. There’s a lot of history there. There’s been finals, epic encounters. We sort of love to hate each other.
“I know because I’ve been on both sides of the fence and the passion is equal. One of the first things you look at when you see the draw is ‘when do we play the Crusaders’ and they’ll do the same as well so it’s a pretty exciting week for everybody.”
Dalton Papali'i dejected as the Crusaders celebrate winning the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific final. Photo / Getty Images
You don’t need to be a rugby wizard to predict the spell the Crusaders will attempt to re-enact on the Blues. Just as they did last June, when the Crusaders suffocated the Blues lineout to steal an astonishing 10 throws, cripple their attacking platform and quash their 15-match unbeaten surge, the visitors will come hard for the set piece and breakdown. That much is a given.
The second-round loss to the Brumbies showed the blueprint to toppling the Blues is to stifle, frustrate and challenge them up front.
The Blues, missing Patrick Tuipulotu and Ofa Tuungafasi through injury and with Tom Robinson and Nepo Laulala on the bench, could be vulnerable there again.
While the Blues’ backline features an abundance of lethal threats underlined by Mark Telea’s return to the right wing, MacDonald knows that weaponry is irrelevant unless his pack provides the desired platform.
“We’ve worked really hard in that space. We’ve got some plans there. We’ve been disrupting a lot of lineouts as well so it can go both ways.
“This is a really important game for us. It’s a chance for us to launch our season.
“We’ve been on the road for three weeks. It’s been quite a hard start for us with a lot of travel. Last year’s final was then. This is our opportunity now in front of our nose and we’re excited about it. It’s two different teams in different situations. They’re pretty hungry and desperate and we are as well. We haven’t hit our full stride yet.”
The Crusaders are down on troops, too, with All Blacks prop Fletcher Newell among those out for the year. David Havili and Will Jordan are other notable absentees — yet with Sam Whitelock, Scott Barrett, Joe Moody, Codie Taylor and Ethan Blackadder in the Crusaders’ starting pack, there’s no doubting the strength of their game.
Four maul tries this season further highlights the approach Papali’i expects.
“Last year it showed, they got to us with our lineout,” Papali’i said. “That’s why we brought Paul Tito in so we back our lineout and our players in that area. The lineout is a funny area at the moment. Teams are winning a lot of ball but they’re also struggling. We’re looking forward to that battle because they’ve got Whitelock and Barrett and you’d call them wizards so it’s going to be interesting.”
Blues coach Leon MacDonald and Crusaders coach Scott Robertson. Photo / Photosport
Last week’s away loss to the Fijian Drua leaves the Crusaders in an unfamiliar early-season hole. In six seasons under Scott Robertson, they have never lost more than three games in a campaign. As they proved in last year’s final, though, the Crusaders are experts at rising for occasions that matter.
“After the loss last week they’ll be demanding a response,” MacDonald said. “What a way to turn things around if they can come up here and get a performance. We’re aware of that.
“You can see there’s a hunger and determination in this group to play well this weekend.”
If this rematch needs any added theatre it comes in the form of the All Blacks’ coaching machinations.
MacDonald, just last year firmly ensconced in Robertson’s potential All Blacks coaching team, was decidedly non-committal about whether that remained the case or whether he could switch to Jamie Joseph’s ticket.
“That’s a decision the head coaches can make.”
Let the games begin.
Blues v Crusaders, Saturday, 7.05pm
Live commentary on GOLD SPORT and iHeart Radio
Blues: Stephen Perofeta, Mark Telea, Rieko Ioane, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Caleb Clarke, Beauden Barrett, Finlay Christie, Hoskins Sotutu, Dalton Papali’i (c), Adrian Choat, Cameron Suafoa, James Tucker, James Lay, Ricky Riccitelli, Alex Hodgman.
Reserves: Soane Vikena, Jordan Lay, Nepo Laulala, Tom Robinson, Taine Plumtree, Taufa Funaki, Bryce Heem, Zarn Sullivan.
