Mr. Andrew Thingy (Australia) showed up, gave a yellow card to allow the Crusaders to get on with the only constructive part of their game, and other than that he didn't do anything stupid. This game didn't require any stupidity from a Referee, there was enough from a certain team playing in White with a Red hoop.
You must think that we Crusaders supporters are a pack of whingers. I guess that complaining about the 2nd loss from 8 might sound a bit much to supporters of other teams.
Let me set you straight there. I wouldn't care if we were middle of the table and had only won half of our games. I would still be proud of a good hard fought loss (against the Hurricanes for instance), and pissed off with a half-arsed pathetic whipping!
We do demand a high standard, but only because such has been displayed by this team in the past. Twice the Crusaders scraped into the semis after having to win the last 4 or 5 in a row. And both of those times they went on to win an Away-Final, against the Opinion of all "right-thinking" rugby supporters.
That takes a sort of grim determination and focus that earned the All Blacks their (until recently tarnished) reputation.
That just happens to be how we like our team to play.
Congratulations to the Cats, they played with fervor and bloody mindedness at times, and shear brilliance at others.
But of course there were two other teams on the field, they were the half-arsed Crusaders - and for about 15 minutes the comeback Crusaders!
I hear that Adam has let you into the inner secrets of how the game was supported at Cone Stadium - I have only two things to say:
1. Time does indeed heal!
2. Adam... it is still your fault! (this was the first live Crusaders game of the year for AT you see!)
But lets set that aside for a moment. What the hell did the Crusaders think they were doing?
The backs were trying all the hardest, most difficult moves - especially the ones that they never get right at training!
Ron Cribb was tackled by the Cats half back 5 times, whilst taking the ball from the back of the scrum. How many times does it take to work out that something isn't working?
Sure you've got to back yourself, but you have to make sure that you aren't backing yourself into a corner!
We got spanked in the first half, and it seemed to get through to some of the team. That comeback phase had thankfully started before the yellow card. And for most of the next 10 minutes the Crusaders were playing out of their skins.
Somehow the Cats managed to pull the knife out, and turned it on us again, and it wasn't a pretty sight!
But that was last week...
This week there only one task for the Crusaders.
It is to play focused, determined, polished, vanilla flavored rugby. Doing this they will easily account for the hapless Bulls.
If Toddy doesn't finish the game with a victorious team, that earns maximum points, then he will be immensely pissed off - and so will I.
The Crusaders may never had heard of me, but Todd... well lets just say... he knows where they live!!
