David Leggat: Now is the time for Crusader tenacity

Hands up all those who are even remotely surprised that the Crusaders are again in the Super 14 semifinals?

No, didn't think so. There was plenty of talk about the draining physical toll their return from Pretoria followed by a rapid turnaround to tackle the Brumbies in Christchurch on Friday night would take.

And how often have we seen the Crusaders get up to win in trying circumstances, or when they're not playing particularly well.

Their mental resolve to stay strong and get across the line even when the collective body may be knackered is unmatched in the competition.

No team in Super 14 history rivals their record and so it's fitting that in this final run round the block for the 14-team competition before the nonsensical arrival of the fifth Australian side, the Crusaders are once again in the frame.

And you'd be a mug to blithely dismiss their chances of beating the round robin runaway top playoff qualifiers the Bulls.

This game isn't going to be at the Afrikaner citadel of Loftus Versfeld, populated by all those large men, and women, wearing blue horns as if at a fancy dress party with a theme which never changes.

With the World Cup soccer finals around the corner, Loftus Versfeld is in the hands of that tournament's organisers, so it's off to Soweto for Sunday's morning's match.

The Bulls won't get their usual rabidly passionate support there; the visitors won't feel the naked hostility quite so sharply.

No, you must give the Crusaders a decent chance of upsetting the Bulls.

What I wouldn't fancy being next weekend is a Waratah, having to go to Cape Town to play the Stormers, and with an all-South African mob running the show.

Mark Lawrence is refereeing, Marius Jonker and Cobus Wessels are running the touchlines and Shaun Veldsman is on the organ upstairs.

Merit-based appointments are fine and Lawrence is fairly capable. Let's leave the ratings at that. But you'd think a touch of neutrality at such a delicate stage of the competition would have been the appropriate call.

You can hear the Waratah wails a week out.

But at least the New South Wales operation won't be quite the underdog Portsmouth were in yesterday morning's FA Cup final. Chelsea, already Premier League champions, up against the relegated south coast side, who are in deep financial schtuck, looked hopelessly lopsided.

Portsmouth didn't have a prayer, just as no one gave Sunderland a hope against mighty, and mightily unloved, Leeds United 37 years ago.

Sunderland went ahead before halftime that day and hung on with loads of tenacity and a dose of good fortune.

Portsmouth had to get in front too, and should have done so, early in the second half.

However Kevin Prince-Boateng - decent name, that - struck a wretched penalty attempt, and the prolific and highly unlikeable Didier Drogba did the business for Chelsea to settle the game five minutes later.

The crowd shots were an impressive sea of blue, the colours of both teams, and I swear one of those waving a Chelsea flag was a dead ringer for the skinny blond barmaid from Coronation Street.

You know, the one who looks in need of a good feed.

Speaking of which, Diego Maradona, who certainly doesn't. These days he has the appearance of a bloke who has swallowed a sheep.

ESPN are showing a fascinating series on World Cup rivalries, leading up to you know what.

They've done the Netherlands and Germany, and England and Germany, and at the weekend it was England and Argentina. Old Hand of God and all that.

As it happens, all three of those rivalries so far have war as a central plank for their enmity.

Anyway, the documentary reminds us what a stunning pocket rocket Maradona was in his playing days.

He's clearly eaten a pile of pies since, as the film amply illustrates. It looked as if he'd need a crane to lever him out of the chair in which he was interviewed.

He'll be in South Africa as Argentina's manager. That arrangement will be nothing if not entertaining.

David Beckham was interviewed too, but clearly some time ago. He was on just the fourth of his 27 different hair styles at the time.

WEEKEND WINNER

Michael Hussey (pictured), the remarkable lefthander who stole the world T20 semifinal off Pakistan in St Lucia with a stunning, unbeaten 60 off 24 balls. His reward? Being embraced by a pile of hot, sweaty Australian blokes.

ONE TO WATCH

If you're eating your breakfast as you read this, quick, switch on the telly and, if recent results hold true, you'll see New Zealand's women beating Australia in the world T20 final. Top and tailing the week, it has to be the Crusaders in Soweto next Sunday morning against the Bulls.