Photos: Super 14 finalKEY POINTS:
If Kieran Read is the heir apparent to Jerry Collins, he deserves it. The Super 14 final was a brilliant game of rugby, I thought, with the defences very good but both teams attacking - and Read was probably the standout of the Crusaders loose forward trio. He was everywhere.
He's an 80-minute footballer; in fact if the game was 100 minutes, he'd be there for all them. He chased, he caught, he tackled all game and while I have no idea if he will be named in the All Black squad today, he should be.
The loose forwards were part of the difference between the two teams. The Waratahs almost had parity at the scrum - although you saw the Crusaders turn on the power at times - and their lineout was good. But Richie McCaw did what Richie is good at and Mose Tuiali'i had a strong game.
In comparison, the Waratahs' Wycliff Palu was powerful but I felt both Phil Waugh and even Rocky Elsom fell away in the second half. I thought fitness and conditioning and endurance were key in that second half and in the last 10-15 minutes - and the Crusaders were superior in that regard.
It was a very Robbie Deans win. By that I mean, they played to their pattern and had faith in it. Deans and his team structured how they were going to play and they stuck to it - and that meant not going wide all the time but turning the ball in and keeping it and dominating territorially.
Some will be saying that Casey Laulala bombed his All Black chances because he didn't pass when a try was on but I wouldn't put the knife into him for that without knowing the pattern. He could just have been playing to it.
Ali Williams had a huge game and it was a real game of rugby - not too many meaningless subs; pressure on the officials and both sides really put the heat on at the breakdown.
Prop Wyatt Crockett had a great game; he was subbed for Ben Franks but he could have very well stayed on - he was playing so well. He was another who did his All Black chances no harm at all.
We hear a lot about how suspect the Super 14 is from up north. From this evidence, it's in good shape.
