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Crusaders ease past toothless Lions

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 09:09

In tandem: Crusaders Richie McCaw and Kieran Read

The Crusaders, despite resting the bulk of their All Blacks, strolled past a toothless Lions team to record a comfortable 46-19 win in their Round Six Super 14 encounter in Christchurch on Saturday.

It would be naive to suggest that the Lions made the Crusaders work for the win - as most of the frailties that have seen the Lions leak almost 50 points per game (they conceded 70 in two of their games already) again surfaced.

Lions captain Cobus Grobbelaar admitted that his team is not yet where they should be on the Super Rug stage.

"We wanted to play a bit better than last week's 70-point defeat to the Waratahs], but we made a lot of unforced errors in the second half," Grobbelaar said.

"Our defence was good at set pieces, but we gave them a lot of chances with missed tackles and spilled passes."

For the Crusaders it is a simple case of job done, points in the bank against the team no referred top as the competition's walking bonus point.

In the end the scoreline probably flatters the Crusaders, as they were their own worst enemies against a Lions team that always produces a lot of energy, but very little substance.

Scoreline aside, the Crusaders were seldom trouble by a Lions team with only a handful of players who really belong on the Super Rugby stage.

As has been the case with the Lions all season, they made a reasonable fist of it in the first half and even threatened to entertain at times, but in the business end of the game they leaked tries at regular intervals, the heads dropped and they fell off the tackles.

It allowed the Crusaders to score a few late tries and blow out the score - but that has been the pattern in most of the Lions' games.

The Lions opened the scoring early - flyhalf Burton Francis slotting penalties in the second and fourth minutes to give the visitors a 6-0 lead.

Crusaders No.10 Colin Slade replied soon afterwards to put his team on the board.

The opening try came in the 13th minute, Crusaders wing Sean Maitland beating the Lions' first line of defence with ease and outsprinted the cover. Slade missed the angled conversion, but kicked a penalty after 15 minutes to put the Crusaders further ahead, 11-6.

But the Lions scored almost from the kick-off, hooker Hannes Franklin picking up the ball at a breakdown near the Crusaders line and trotting across for a soft try which Francis converted from in front.

Slade was on target with his third penalty goal attempt after 20 minutes, to put the home team back in front - 14-13.

The Lions thought they had scored in the 23rd minute, but the scrumhalf Jano Vermaak was adjudged offside as he chased a through kick.

Flank Jonathan Poff scored his first try for the Crusaders after 24 minutes, easily breaking through a tackle and running just over 20 metres. Slade again missed the conversion.

Francis failed with a penalty attempt from in front after 31 minutes, before slotting a third penalty from similar range two minutes before the break.

Right on the half-time hooter Slade kicked an easy penalty to give the Crusaders a 22-16 lead at the break.

Slade kicked his fifth penalty after 50 minutes and then centre Adam Whitelock notched the Crusaders third try after 59 minutes - after two Lions players gifted Thomas Waldrom the ball and he found Whitelock unmarked outside him. Slade finally landed a conversion to make it 32-16.

Fullback Earl Rose clawed back three points for the Lions with a penalty in the 65th minute.

However, the Lions slipped into their usual mode - heads down, slipping tackles and generally being sloppy and without any substance to their game.

In the 72nd minute Maitland bagged his second try and the bonus-point try - after wing Wigan Pekeur dropped the ball near his line. Slade converted.

Right on the final hooter replacement scrumhalf Willi Heinz tapped a penalty to himself and darted over under the cross-bar. Slade added the final nail with the conversion.

Man of the match: Despite his poor goal-kicking, all those missed conversions, Colin Slade showed that he is still better suited to flyhalf and dictated terms. He is a great utility, but could be the official understudy to Dan Carter if given the opportunities. He is our man of the match.

The scorers:

For the Crusaders:
Tries: Maitland 2, Poff, A Whitelock, Heinz
Cons: Slade 3
Pens: Slade 5

For the Lions:
Try: Franklin
Con: Francis
Pens: Francis 3, Rose

Teams:

Crusaders: 15 Jared Payne, 14 Sean Maitland, 13 Adam Whitelock, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 Zac Guildford, 10 Colin Slade, 9 Kahn Fotuali'i, 8 Thomas Waldrom, 7 Jonathan Poff, 6 Richie McCaw (captain), 5 Isaac Ross, 4 Sam Whitelock, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Ti'i Paulo, 1 Ben Franks.
Replacements: 16 Corey Flynn, 17 Wyatt Crockett, 18 Chris Jack, 19 George Whitelock, 20 Willi Heinz, 21 Daniel Carter, 22 Robbie Fruean.

Lions: 15 Earl Rose, 14 Wigan Pekeur, 13 Walter Venter, 12 Doppies la Grange, 11 Wandile Mjekevu, 10 Burton Francis, 9 Jano Vermaak, 8 Todd Clever, 7 Derick Minnie, 6 Cobus Grobbelaar (captain), 5 Franco van der Merwe, 4 George Earle, 3 Ross Geldenhuys, 2 Hannes Franklin, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg.
Replacements: 16 Charles Emslie, 17 Heinke van der Merwe, 18 Willem Stoltz, 19 Robert Kruger / Jacques Lombaard, 20 Jacques Coetzee, 21 Carlos Spencer, 22 Michael Killian.

Referee: Keith Brown (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Matthew Stanish (New Zealand), James McPhail (New Zealand)
TMO: Ben Skeen (New Zealand)

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