Still no Read for Crusaders
Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder has again opted not to select All Black superstar Kieran Read, ahead of their Super Rugby crunch encounter with the Sharks.
Blackadder said Read was again ruled out of contention early in the week, rather than pressuring him to be ready to play with little time to prepare.
"Kieran was still showing some really minor signs of concussion at the start of the week," the coach said.
"Given that it's been a short week for us to prepare anyway due to a late flight back from Brisbane, we decided the sensible thing to do was to make the call early that he wouldn't be available.
"He hasn't been able to fully participate in contact training for a little while, so we're better off giving him more space and time to get back to 100 percent," Blackadder added.
The Crusaders coach made three changes for Saturday's Christchurch showdown.
Dominic Bird will partner up with Samuel Whitelock at lock this week, with Luke Romano out of contention after breaking his ankle in last week's match.
Scrumhalves Willi Heinz and Andy Ellis have rotated again – with Heinz starting for his 50th Crusaders game.
The final change is at fullback, where Tom Taylor will step into the fold in place of Israel Dagg.
"Leaving Izzy [Dagg] out of the mix this week is purely preventative," Blackadder said.
"We've been really happy with the way he's been playing, but there are some early signs of wear and tear and we just want to make sure that we manage that so that he can continue to play at his best."
Blackadder also hoped playing on their home ground would help them preserve an unbeaten run against the Sharks, who have never won against the Crusaders on New Zealand soil.
"The crowds at our home games this season have been amazing," Blackadder said.
"It makes a huge difference to the team to play in front of a stadium full of boisterous Crusaders supporters, so we would love to have the stadium packed out again on Saturday to help us take on this season's top team."
Crusaders: 15 Tom Taylor, 14 Johnny McNicholl, 13 Rey Lee-Lo, 12 Ryan Crotty (captain), 11 Nemani Nadolo, 10 Colin Slade, 9 Willie Heinz, 8 Luke Whitelock, 7 Richie McCaw, 6 Jordan Taufua, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Dominic Bird, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Corey Flynn, 1 Wyatt Crockett.
Replacements: 16 Ben Funnell, 17 Tim Perry, 18 Nepo Laulala, 19 Jimmy Tupou, 20 George Whitelock, 21 Andy Ellis, 22 Tyler Bleyendaal, 23 Nafi Tuitavake.
Date: Saturday, May 17
Venue: AMI Stadium, Christchurch
Kick-off: 19.35 (07.35 GMT; 09.35 SA time)
Referee: Rohan Hoffmann (Australia)
Assistant referees: Mike Fraser, Mike Lash (New Zealand)
TMO: Chris Watt (New Zealand)
