The Crusaders delivered a fiery response to their many critics. Photo / Photosport
The Crusaders delivered a fiery response to their many critics. Photo / Photosport
Crusaders 37
Chiefs 26
The Chiefs were the team who put the Crusaders in an early hole, edging an opening-round encounter that offered no hint how deep it would become.
And while a repeat result five weeks later wouldn’t have left them dead and buried, Super Rugby shouldn’t have been surprised to see the champions’ hand burst from the earth like the final shot of Carrie.
A scorned schoolgirl, the Crusaders are not. They’re more likely found in the popular clique plotting over a bucket of pig’s blood.
But plans for revenge are officially in motion. Having absorbed the taunts of an 0-5 start, they are ready to remind their many haters just why they won seven titles in a row.
That’s how it appeared during 80 often spectacular minutes on Friday night, showcasing abilities that didn’t quite reach telekinesis but did hint at a near-supernatural revival.
The Crusaders, unlike the titular character in Brian De Palma’s film, began their quest for vengeance with a smile.
Bathed in blood-red, they dispatched the high-flying Chiefs by playing with a level of freedom unseen during their dread-filled stumble to the bottom of the ladder.
Wing Johnny McNicholl even allowed one to emerge en route to the try that virtually sealed the result in the 63rd minute, when he picked off Josh Ioane’s pass before racing to the line, and those emotions were justified.
McNicholl was emblematic of the injury crisis that, conspiring with an inevitable transition period following the departure of coach Scott Robertson, doomed the Crusaders to the worst start by a defending champion in the history of Super Rugby.
The 33-year-old was added to the squad only this month, almost eight years after leaving New Zealand for a long and successful career in Wales that included 10 tests.
The Crusaders were initially unsure how much McNicholl would play or how long his services would be required. But based on this deadly display, they must be keen for him to stick around ahead of inevitable sequels.
McNicholl, who scored twice and made three clean breaks to rack up more than 150 metres, was far from alone in reviving a moribund attack.
Sevu Reece was typically elusive on the other wing; Levi Aumua finally showed some of the form that made him a breakout midfielder for Moana Pasifika; and halfback Noah Hotham sparked a number of quick attacks.
Hotham was a late inclusion after another injury, this time to Mitch Drummond, and he was pivotal to a first half in which the hosts built a 22-12 while shining particularly in unstructured play.
Hooker George Bell scored a brilliant solo try. Photo / Getty Images
The biggest smile of the night, however, belonged to hooker George Bell.
The Crusaders had insisted their confidence remained intact despite the type of slump that would cripple most mortals. They would trust the systems that transformed them into a singular force. They had no intention of changing dance partners in the middle of the prom.
That confidence, loss No 6 looming, would surely have been shaken by a fast start to the second half for the Chiefs. Instead, the only display of speed was by the Crusaders’ No 2.
Bell received the ball 35 metres out, burst through the line and almost sidestepped the last defender in Josh Jacomb, starting in place of the rested Damian McKenzie. He celebrated in a manner befitting such an explosive effort.
“I don’t know what was going on there,” Bell told Sky Sport. “I was like, jeez, I don’t find myself in this place very often. So I just thought, pin the ears back.
“It’s an unreal feeling. To get that first win is what we needed. Have a week off, just refresh and start again.”
The Crusaders have risen from the grave, on Easter weekend no less.
