Crusaders v Bulls review

The Crusaders finally broke the drought and got their first win of the 2013 season against the Bulls last Saturday night in Christchurch, 41-19. However the scoreline wasn't a true reflection of the game with the Crusaders guilty of far too many simple errors.

The game was significant for the home team with not having registered a win this season, the game was played with this intent as the Crusaders knew the affects of going into round 6 without a loss would be catastrophic.

The Crusaders were guilty of a very shaky start with 4 handling errors in the first 12 mins, followed by another 2 all before the 20 min mark.  Uncharacteristic errors by usually a slick outfit and with perfect rugby conditions it might have been all down to nerves. The space and attacking lines were getting in behind the Bulls advantage line but the execution kept the scoreline at bay for the first portion of the game.

Consecutive attacking phases lead to Robbie Fruean to crash over in the 25th minute and was followed by a Dan Carter conversion to lead 10-3. This was followed up 11 minutes later when Kieran Read crashed over, one of his many highlights in a strong performance by the skipper. His ball running was second to none and really lead his forward pack brilliantly.

The Crusader forwards continually contested the Bulls lineup, which helped disrupt their rhythm going forward in their typically strongest set piece.

The crucial blow before halftime to wing Johnny McNicholl was certainly a crush to the Bulls and was set up by some great patient attack, setting it up and 17 phases later exposing the Bulls defense out wide to give the Crusaders a 22-9 lead.

The second half started on a continued high note with an excellent try to Tom Marshall who showed his individual skills running through a gap in the Bulls line and never looking back. The killer blow to the Bulls and they never really fired in the remaining half. Was certainly his best performance in a Crusaders jersey and will be hoping to continue this momentum of form throughout the competition.

It certainly gave the Crusaders fan's a much needed boost of confidence in their team, however it still would be a concern with so many easy turnovers and handling errors. Certainly some of the other teams in the competitions would have punished them more and the scoreboard would have been a different story. But it was a step in the right direction and with the competition being a marathon not a sprint things can only continue to improve.

Statistics

Crusaders

- 12 Handling errors

- 22 turnovers

- 3 missed tackles

- 64 tackles made

- 6 line breakers

Bulls

- 5 handling errors

- 18 missed tackles

- 133 tackles made

- 1 line break

Crusaders 41 - Tries: Fruean, Read, McNicholl, Marshall, Crockett, Heinz

                      - Penalties: Dan Carter

                      - Conversions: Dan Carter (4)

Bulls 19         - Tries: Deon Stegmann

                     - Penalties: Morne Steyn (4)

                     - Conversions: Morne Steyn