Big north-south derby: 'It's going to be a hell of a collision'
SUPER RUGBY AOTEAROA SPOTLIGHT: It was once the most intense and fierce battle in New Zealand. Then it lost its lustre.
However, the Blues’ revival has ensured the impassioned rivalry between the teams from Canterbury and Auckland has been reignited.
In the early days of Super Rugby’s professional era, the Blues (Auckland) dominated – winning in 1996 and 1997. They added a third title in 2003.
However, as the Blues slid down the totem pole, the Crusaders rose to the top – winning 10 titles (1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008 and the last three years).
These two head into Saturday’s clash in Christchurch as the only unbeaten teams in Super Rugby Aotearoa – New Zealand’s replacement for the cancelled SANZAAR-organised Super Rugby tournament.
The prediction is that Saturday’s encounter could be every bit as intense as those memorable encounters of the past.
“It feels like that [the old days],” Crusaders assistant coach Scott Hansen told reporters in Christchurch.
“Our boys will need to be up for it, but they will [be].”
The Blues have struggled against the Crusaders in recent years and lost their previous 11 matches, stretching back to a 35-24 victory in 2014.
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Captain Patrick Tuipulotu, hooker James Parsons and prop Ofa Tuungafasi are the only current Blues players who were in the 2014 squad.
Crusaders scrumhalf Bryn Hall, however, was also in the Blues squad before he shifted south in 2016 and said he felt Leon MacDonald’s side were starting to click after two years of rebuilding.
“It was really only a matter of time with the group they have had,” said Hall.
“You can just see the growth they have had the past two years.”
That improvement was a good thing for New Zealand Rugby, Hansen said, with officials expecting close to a sell-out.
“It’s good for New Zealand Rugby, isn’t it?” he said. “Two teams undefeated, going for it.
“It’s going to be a hell of a collision.”
Also, mutual respect is back.
“There is a huge amount of respect for the Blues,” Hansen said.
“They are a team with a lot of cohesion at the moment, awesome synergy in their game with attack and their defence,” he added.
“They’re a big, physical team that is looking for big collisions.
“They have got a mindset around working teams into the ground. Our boys will need to be up for it, but they will.”
Sources: Reuters & stuff.co.nz
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