Crusaders Clear the Qualifier
I don't know if I ever really doubted it...the Crusaders have too much depth and too much...well - too much everything. The Sharks didn't roll over even though the 36-8 outcome on first look would seem that way. Though the Crusaders drew first blood with a penalty kick, the Sharks' answer to that was a try. It was clear that the Sharks were not going to just platter up the Qualifier and act like a formality for the stronger side.
I don't actually know how many rucks the Sharks turned over - but it was a lot. More than any
coach would ever want to see in an entire game and they did it all in 40 minutes. White jerseys just keep piling into rucks that the majority of teams would have just left alone - and I think that's what the Crusaders thought too as ruck after ruck, they were caught with too few men in their rucks protecting Andy Ellis. Not to mention the numerous handling errors by the Cru. I was a little concerned at first that maybe the Crusaders had come into the game too confident and that the Sharks would just take advantage of everything that was given to them and be the miracle team.
At the half - the Crusaders sat at 13-8...not a lead that I would have really predicted (obviously) but I felt that there was still time for plenty of tries and plenty of changes made by both teams. Coming out from half there was a noticeable difference in the Crusader's care around the rucks. Every five minutes that passed the Sharks looked more and more passive. They weren't giving up tons of ground but they weren't piling into rucks like they had nothing to lose and they were pressing up on defense to shut SBW down and they just weren't playing with everything on the line. Now, information I've learned since the game is that in addition to an apparently grueling flight and time change for the Saffies there was an additional delay during the flight due to a lack in visibility caused by the volcano in Chili. Fatigue was definitely a factor but the turning point in the game - the moment when all the momentum shifted and the Sharks seemed to just coast was where Kieren Reid intercepted a long ball on the wing after a series of mid field kick exchanges by Marshall and Lambie. Reid simple rode out the series of kicks reading the counteract perfectly. As the commentators stated - it was almost as it was played out in slow motion. The Sharks back line just shifting the ball like they were running patterns in practice without even looking up as to where the defense was. Reid rushed the line and perfection. At that point - there was no stopping the Crusaders.
With 15 minutes to go the Crusaders had used almost all of the subsitutions. As I've always said - at 65 minutes - there are only two things that many substitutions mean...1. You've either lost the game or 2. You've already won the game. I think we know the answer to that one. Here's the point scorers for the game:
Crusaders:
Tries: SBW, K. Reid, B. Franks (substitution)
Penalties: Carter (5)
Conversions: Carter (2), Berquist (1)
Sharks:
Tries: Alberts
Penalties: P. Lambie
We'll worry about the semi-finals later this week. For now, we're going to rest easy as New Zealand represents the better half of the tournament.
peace out - [ bear ]
I don't actually know how many rucks the Sharks turned over - but it was a lot. More than any
coach would ever want to see in an entire game and they did it all in 40 minutes. White jerseys just keep piling into rucks that the majority of teams would have just left alone - and I think that's what the Crusaders thought too as ruck after ruck, they were caught with too few men in their rucks protecting Andy Ellis. Not to mention the numerous handling errors by the Cru. I was a little concerned at first that maybe the Crusaders had come into the game too confident and that the Sharks would just take advantage of everything that was given to them and be the miracle team.At the half - the Crusaders sat at 13-8...not a lead that I would have really predicted (obviously) but I felt that there was still time for plenty of tries and plenty of changes made by both teams. Coming out from half there was a noticeable difference in the Crusader's care around the rucks. Every five minutes that passed the Sharks looked more and more passive. They weren't giving up tons of ground but they weren't piling into rucks like they had nothing to lose and they were pressing up on defense to shut SBW down and they just weren't playing with everything on the line. Now, information I've learned since the game is that in addition to an apparently grueling flight and time change for the Saffies there was an additional delay during the flight due to a lack in visibility caused by the volcano in Chili. Fatigue was definitely a factor but the turning point in the game - the moment when all the momentum shifted and the Sharks seemed to just coast was where Kieren Reid intercepted a long ball on the wing after a series of mid field kick exchanges by Marshall and Lambie. Reid simple rode out the series of kicks reading the counteract perfectly. As the commentators stated - it was almost as it was played out in slow motion. The Sharks back line just shifting the ball like they were running patterns in practice without even looking up as to where the defense was. Reid rushed the line and perfection. At that point - there was no stopping the Crusaders.
With 15 minutes to go the Crusaders had used almost all of the subsitutions. As I've always said - at 65 minutes - there are only two things that many substitutions mean...1. You've either lost the game or 2. You've already won the game. I think we know the answer to that one. Here's the point scorers for the game:
Crusaders:
Tries: SBW, K. Reid, B. Franks (substitution)
Penalties: Carter (5)
Conversions: Carter (2), Berquist (1)
Sharks:
Tries: Alberts
Penalties: P. Lambie
We'll worry about the semi-finals later this week. For now, we're going to rest easy as New Zealand represents the better half of the tournament.
peace out - [ bear ]
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