Rugby: Fumbles a harsh lesson for tired Crusaders

Drew Mitchell of the Western Force comes down in a Thomas Waldron tackle in the match at Christchurch last night. Photo / Getty Images

SUPER 14
Crusaders 23
Force 23

There is nothing quite like a draw to suck the life out of a good game of rugby. But that's what the Crusaders had to take last night after they manoeuvred themselves into a seemingly unassailable position only to get a bad case of stage fright. If the Crusaders weren't in crisis before taking on the Force, they probably are now.

Back in the day - and that was just last year - the Highlanders and Force would have been bankers to yield 10 points. The Crusaders of 2009 managed to snare just three and right now they are teetering, waiting for the Waratahs this week to push them over the edge.

And they look like a side that would benefit from having all hope removed so they can get on with the serious job of rebuilding in peace, without everyone gawping like ghouls at their quite painful demise.

And let's be clear - their demise was quite painful to watch.

They had the Force all but dead and buried coming into the final quarter. Colin Slade would have nailed the coffin shut had he not been hammered in an astonishingly brave and committed tackle by Drew Mitchell.

The Crusaders were 23-6 in front but from there it all went wrong. Leon MacDonald was sent to the bin in a harsh but ultimately fair call for taking James O'Connor out in the air.

Then Matt Giteau found his dancing shoes. He's a tricky little devil is Giteau and it was if he suddenly remembered that he's a genius when he wiggles and jiggles and takes the line on with that blinding acceleration of his.

He glided through a crooked Crusaders defensive backline to put Haig Sare in the clear and score the try he was denied against the same opposition three years ago in a game that curiously also ended 23-all.

That rocked the home side and as they were just realising the seriousness of their predicament, Giteau was off again, skipping past tired legs and then hurling a brilliant pass over his shoulder to O'Connor to bring the scores level. From having the victory in the bag, the Crusaders were just happy to get out of there with a draw.

"We didn't play last week," said coach Todd Blackadder, "and we played tonight, probably some of the best rugby we have produced this season. At critical times we didn't put them away and there were times when we switched off."

Critically, one of the areas where there was a major switch off was the goal-kicking. Stephen Brett let 15 points slide wide of the uprights and that hurt his side. It's a rotten business goal-kicking - a hero one week, blamed for everything the next, but that's the life these guys sign up for.

There is an expectation that the blokes who reach this level will stand up and pop them over when they really have to.

It can suck the spirit out of a side seeing points left on the table and in those final 20 minutes you could imagine that there were dark thoughts whizzing through the minds of some of Brett's team-mates.

But he can't take the blame for the Crusaders' failure to win.

The fault was collective and besides, Brett did enough elsewhere to argue that on balance, his contribution was positive. He was not quite inspired and was by no means faultless but he lifted the energy and tempo and at least gave the impression of being supremely confident.

He's not one for being rushed or put off his business is Brett and there was a touch of class, a sense of his future being full of bigger games in the way he calmly and cleverly held on to the ball in the build up to the opening try. After a robust charge by George Whitelock, big holes opened on the Force's right flank.

Brett thought about passing across the traffic, held back, danced into the gap, waited and then fed Ryan Crotty.

It was try that put some welcome and immediate distance on the debacle of Carisbrook and it was also the first sign that the Crusaders had stumbled upon a midfield trio that were very much in tune with one another.

Crotty was busy and effective although he won't enjoy being reminded of the three-man overlap he wasted with a loose pass mid-way through the second half, while Tim Bateman had a touch of Conrad Smith about him in the way he straightened and organised those around him.

Isaac Ross appeared everywhere and it was the performance of those inexperienced youngsters that left Blackadder believing there was still hope. "It just shows the quality we do have. I am beginning to sound like a broken record but there were positives for us to take and we played some good rugby."

Crusaders 23 (I. Ross, R. Crotty, T. Bateman tries; S. Brett 2 pens, con) Force 23 (H. Sare, J. O'Connor tries; M.Giteau 3 pens, con; Saire con).