Islands collide as Blues tackle Crusaders
The two New Zealand teams, who have won six of the previous seven Super 12 titles, are already fierce opponents but there is even more at stake this year with the World Cup in Australia less than five months away.
With players from both teams desperate to push their claims for selection in the All Black World Cup squad, the Eden Park final has all the makings of a classic encounter.
“There is no doubt there is a special feeling to this match,” Crusaders coach Robbie Deans admitted.
“We’re coming off our success from last year and the Blues have dominated this year. It’s all set up for a great game.”
The Blues, Super 12 champions in 1996 and 1997, have been the outstanding team this year, winning all but one of their matches, while the Crusaders have a habit of raising their game for the big occasion.
They stopped the Blues from securing a third straight title when they upset them in the 1998 final, then completed a hat-trick of their own by beating the Otago Highlanders in Dunedin in 1999 and the ACT Brumbies in Canberra in 2000. The Crusaders, based in Christchurch in New Zealand’s South Island, missed the playoffs in 2001 when Australia’s ACT Brumbies became the first non-Kiwi side to win the title, but made up for it last year when they won every match, the only team ever to achieve the feat.
They boast a powerful, experienced team brimming with internationals including Rueben Thorne, Justin Marshall, Chris Jack, Richard McCaw and Scott Robertson, and play a highly disciplined, rigid game.
Such is their depth that All Black points-scoring machine Andrew Mehrtens will sit on the bench with Aaron Mauger starting at flyhalf.
The Blues, from New Zealand’s North Island, play a more expansive, running game that has made them the new entertainers of the competition.
Auckland suffered a midweek setback when scrum-half Steve Devine was forced to withdraw from the final because of a training collision with flanker Justin Collins, but they are confident they have the depth and strike-power to win.
Fly-half Carlos Spencer has been the key to their success this season while fullback Doug Howlett has crossed for 11 tries.
Blues centre Mils Muliaina has also been in great form but says his team cannot afford to relax against the Crusaders.
“We can’t afford to think about anything else,” he said. “What we need to do against the Crusaders, our minds have to be totally focused on that match.”
AUCKLAND BLUES: D Howlett, R Gear, M Muliaina, S Tuitupou, J Rokocoko, C Spencer, D Gibson; X Rush, D Braid, A Williams, A Macdonald, J Collins, K Meeuws, K Mealamu, D Manu.
Replacements: L Stensness, O Ai’i, C McGrath, M Tuiaili’i, B Mika, T Woodcock, D Witcombe.
CANTERBURY CRUSADERS: L MacDonald, M Vunibaka, C Ralph, J Maddock, D Carter, A Mauger, J Marshall; S Robertson, R McCaw, C Jack, B Thorn, R Thorne, G Somerville, M Hammett, D Hewett. Replacements: S Hamilton, A Mehrtens, B Hurst, S Broomhall, J Leo’o, G Feek, S McFarland.
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