The Crusaders' Ioane Moananu (left) and James O'Connor celebrate the win over the Blues. Photo / Photosport
The Crusaders' Ioane Moananu (left) and James O'Connor celebrate the win over the Blues. Photo / Photosport
The Crusaders are second on the Super Rugby Pacific ladder with six wins from eight matches, a huge turnaround from 2024.
Depth and experience have been key, with fewer injuries and toughness in close games.
James O’Connor is rested this week; Rivez Reihana returns from injury to face the Highlanders.
What a difference a year makes. Twelve months ago, the perennial champions were rooted to the bottom of the Super Rugby Pacific ladder with one win and seven losses – facing the indignity of missing the quarter-finals of a 12-team competition – as defending champions. They ultimately finished ninth.
The 2025 squad are sitting second behind the Chiefs, with a game in hand. They have a record of six wins from eight matches – on par with the championship-winning side of 2023 at the same stage.
The stark contrast between this year and last is down to many things – most prominently, squad depth and experience.
Of the 10 losses the Crusaders suffered in 2024, six of them were by seven points or fewer. The close ones this season (and there haven’t been many) have gone the way of the red and blacks, a tight win over the fast-finishing Hurricanes two weeks ago and an 82nd-minute defeat of the Blues last weekend.
This year, the playoffs will feature the top six teams and the Crusaders are realistically two or three wins away from securing their place. They’ll have their eyes on much more and will threaten the Chiefs, the ACT Brumbies and the Queensland Reds for the top spot with five matches to play.
James O'Connor of the Crusaders kicks the winning penalty against Blues at Apollo Projects Stadium, Christchurch. Photo / Photosport
Rob Penney’s squad were decimated by injuries last season – and whilst it hasn’t been plain sailing this year, he now finds himself with a luxury that 2024 never afforded him.
“We’ve got a lot of people available. We feel as though we’re replacing quality with quality and we’re really confident with the depth that we have. So, it’s nowhere near like it was,” the coach says.
His star recruit and designated “finisher”, former Wallabies star James O’Connor, has been given the week off after slotting the match-winning penalty against the Blues.
Rivez Reihana returns from injury to play off the bench against the Highlanders in Dunedin on Saturday night. It’ll be the first match this year that O’Connor hasn’t played a role in.
Rivez Reihana will return from injury against the Highlanders this weekend. It'll be his first outing for the Crusaders in 2025. Photo / Photosport
“He [O’Connor] wants to play, but from a selectorial perspective, the depth and the talent we have in the group is very strong,” says Penney.
Reihana has had a wretched run of injuries over the past two seasons.
“It’s been tragic for him. He got quite a serious injury the week before the comp started, which has put him out for a long time. He’s been waiting in the wings for a couple of weeks now and training the house down, so he’s got an opportunity,” Penney says.
Last season, the Crusaders were forced to use five different first five-eighths; this year they’ve chosen to use two so far. Reihana will be the third.
Another example of the gulf between this season and last is the introduction of powerhouse loose forward Xavier Saifoloi. The young flanker has had a taste off the bench already this season, but this week he gets his first start.
Penney has been able to manage his involvement, largely due to the depth created by the selection headaches of 2024.
“He’s 21. He hasn’t been exposed to a lot of professional environments, and it’s taken him a long time to settle. The medical team have done a great job. He had a couple of niggles that he that he couldn’t quite get right and we’re just starting to see the best of him now,” Penney says.
The selection headaches could soon get even better for Penney with All Blacks hooker George Bell taking an active role in training as he works his way back from a foot injury.
Rob Penney's Crusaders squad are in a very different place this season, both on the ladder and with availability. Photo / Photosport
“He’s right on the edge. I think he’s due back, three or four weeks from now. Such an athletic, explosive man – we can’t go early on him. We just need to get some miles into him now and he’s making great progress,” Penney says.
Bell’s injury opened the door for the “find of the year” in stocky hooker Ioane Moananu, who has more than provided back-up to Codie Taylor.
Whether or not the Crusaders can keep all three hookers for 2026 will be one of the great post-season sub-plots, along with the immediate future of playmaker and mentor O’Connor.
The Crusaders' Ioane Moananu (left) and James O'Connor celebrate the win over the Blues. Photo / Photosport
Asked if he’d like another year out of the affable Aussie, Penney is coy.
“We haven’t even discussed that. He’s been a champion bloke for us and it’s great that he’s being rewarded with the public adulation, but yeah, just one bridge at a time,” Penney says.
The next bridge is the one that crosses the Waitaki River – the geographical border between Crusaders country and the Highlanders’. The local derby always has an edge – but this year, the Crusaders do too.
“Vitamin W does wonderful things for you. I guess some people would call it flow or momentum. We’ve managed to capture it and it’s up to us now to try to keep it as long as we can,” Penney says.
Crusaders: Will Jordan, Sevu Reece, Dallas McLeod, David Havili, Macca Springer, Taha Kemara, Noah Hotham, Christian Lio-Willie, Tom Christie, Xavier Saifoloi, Jamie Hannah, Scott Barrett, Fletcher Newell, Codie Taylor, George Bower.
Mike Thorpe is a senior multimedia journalist for the Herald, based in Christchurch. He has been a broadcast journalist across television and radio for 20 years and joined the Herald in August 2024.
