The sloppy 16-24 loss to the Force at the start of this roadtrip will be looking doubly painful for the Crusaders after they were clubbed 42-14 by the Stormers in Cape Town on Saturday. That will also be another disconcerting note for the All Black selectors. The entire Crusaders' pack has played for the All Blacks, but they were bludgeoned by their hosts and savaged by referee Stu Dickinson. Behind those troubles, international five-eighths Daniel Carter played with a continued lack of clout and control.
Victory for the Stormers gave them a clean sweep against New Zealand teams this year and will have recalibrated thoughts of many looking for clues towards the impending Tri-Nations internationals.
It may also have complicated selection ideas for Springbok coach Peter de Villiers as Schalk Burger is the only regular test player wearing Stormers colours. The bulk of de Villiers' test forwards are clad in the faded navy uniform of the Bulls and this Saturday at Loftus Versfeld, they will want to show they have as much sting as the men from the Cape. Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha, Danie Rossouw, Pierre Spies and Gurthro Steenkamp are seasoned Springbok forwards while Dewald Potgieter, Deon Stegmann and Pedrie Wannenburg are others in the frame for test colours.
They have combined to take the Bulls to a sequence of 17 successive victories at Loftus under the stewardship of class halfback Fourie du Preez while goalkicking five-eighths Morne Steyn has claimed 194 points this season. The assignment will test every ounce of the Crusaders' resilience, every piece of coach Todd Blackadder's strategies and every inch of class from skipper Richie McCaw and his men.
They failed to deal with the heat generated by the Stormers on Saturday. Referee Stu Dickinson penalised them severely and eventually lost patience and sinbinned Kieran Read. "Right from the get-go we were on the wrong side of the referee's decisions at the breakdown and it didn't change for the entire 80 minutes," Blackadder lamented. Whether or not he has a case here is up for debate but nobody will be able to deny that the Stormers have played some brilliant rugby this season and keep on producing breathtaking tries! Take a look at Jacque Fouries great run against the Crusaders here!
Isn't it great to hear the bleating of the New Zealanders for a change! Unless there is some dark secret underfoot the All Blacks will be by fortunate to get into contention for the World Cup which is fast approaching in their own back yard.
