Only had one lineout stolen in an otherwise steady night.
3. Marcel Renata – 6
Strong with the scrum to go along with plenty of carries.
4. Josh Beehre – 5
Made some big tackles, including a breakdown turnover, although was guilty of giving away a penalty as part of an ill-disciplined night for the Blues.
5. Sam Darry – 5
Put in a solid shift which featured a turnover and 13 tackles.
6. Torian Barnes – 3
Struggled to make an impact. Was penalised at the breakdown, while pinged for a high tackle. Made six tackles for his efforts. Pulled from the field just after halftime.
7. Dalton Papali’i (c) – 6
Gave away a couple of ruck penalties, but otherwise did what he needed for his side.
8. Hoskins Sotutu – 6
Very limited chances to show what he’s capable of. Gave away a high tackle penalty but did produce one big defensive play, stripping the ball from Leicester Fainga’anuku over the try line.
Finlay Christie in action for the Blues. Photo / Brad Roberts
9. Finlay Christie – 4
Had some great box kicks to help get the Blues out of danger on a few occasions but also came up with a couple of errors.
10. Beauden Barrett – 7
Very impressive in his first game of the season, where he was initially named on the bench, but thrown into the starting side an hour before kickoff. Controlled the game well.
11. Caleb Clarke – 7
Usually scoring a hat-trick would net you a higher score, but his brain explosion for deliberately knocking the ball down, and going to the sin bin, docked his score. Didn’t help that the Crusaders scored two tries in his absence too.
12. Pita Ahki – 6
Provided the pass for Clarke’s first try, but sadly a knee injury meant his night ended early. Hopefully it isn’t serious as he’s been a valuable addition to the Blues side since returning from France.
13. AJ Lam – 7
Had limited opportunities to showcase his skills but had two big highlights with some goal line defence followed by a 50/22 to help relieve some pressure for the Blues.
14. Codemeru Vai – 8
A decent outing in his first Super Rugby Pacific start, where he got to show his speed while scoring his first career try with an acrobatic finish, which was worthy of a 10 on its own.
15. Zarn Sullivan – 7
Was very lively during the contest and tried to be involved with everything. Carried the ball for 80m which featured a couple of line breaks.
Reserves:
16. James Mullan – 5
Did have some miss throws but improved as the match went on. Produced a great charge down to keep the Crusaders pinned deep in their half.
17. Mason Tupaea – 5
Impressive work rate with his limited time on the field.
18. Sam Matenga – N/A
19. Che Clark – N/A
Didn’t play.
20. Anton Segner – 7
Came off the bench and provided plenty of energy and won a turnover. His efforts helped keep the Blues in control of the match.
21. Taufa Funaki – 4
Did what was required when he came on the field.
22. Kade Banks – N/A
Didn’t play.
23. Xavi Taele – 4
Overall quiet after coming on the field but did have a couple of carries.
Crusaders
1. George Bower – 4
Decent at scrum time, but his impact was limited before being pulled early in the second half.
Codie Taylor is tackled by Beauden Barrett. Photo / Brad Roberts
2. Codie Taylor – 6
Scored the Crusaders’ first try from a maul while Clarke was off the field. Lineout was shaky at times, but that was the unit more so than his throws.
3. Fletcher Newell – 6
Was strong in the scrum and made 17 tackles. Job well done.
4. Antonio Shalfoon – 5
Won his lineouts and made 14 tackles but otherwise didn’t have the impact he was hoping for.
5. Jamie Hannah – 6
Was denied an early try thanks to Dom Gardiner’s high shot which happened two minutes earlier. Was forced from the field in the first half with injury.
6. Dom Gardiner – 4
Was given a yellow card for his hit on Sotutu, which was costly with the Blues scoring during his absence. However, when he returned, he did his best to make amends.
7. Ethan Blackadder – 2
Made 11 tackles, but for an All Black, expectations are higher and his absence at times during the match was noticeable.
8. Christian Lio-Willie – 4
Not his best night at the office, with a handful of errors, mixed in with some strong carries.
9. Noah Hotham – 5
Did what was required and tried his best to keep the Crusaders in the game. Threw a silky flick pass for Rivez Reihana’s try, but nearly had a blunder when Barrett thought he’d scored, but luckily it was ruled out.
10. Rivez Reihana – 7
Had some nice moments back in the saddle, Scored a neat try, but left his kicking boots in Christchurch.
11. Sevu Reece – 3
A harsh rating for the departing All Blacks winger, but he had limited opportunities with the ball to show his speed, and that wasn’t his fault.
12. David Havili (c) – 6
A captain’s knock as he shifted from the midfield to fullback during the match,
13. Leicester Fainga’anuku – 5
Showed those loose forward capabilities with an excellent turnover just before halftime, but some questionable decisions that he might want back.
14. Chay Fihaki – 4
Won the opening kickoff to retain possession for the Crusaders, but it felt like he would have been better suited at fullback.
15. Taha Kemara -2
Didn’t notice he was on the field until he was substituted at halftime.
Reserves:
16. Manumaua Leitu – N/A
Came on for a matter of seconds.
17. Finlay Brewis – 4
Busy when on the field including securing a loose ball along with a couple of runs.
18. Seb Calder – 3
Kept quiet on the field. Played 20 minutes.
19. Will Tucker – 5
Made his Crusaders debut and came on earlier than expected, but his impact was noticeable.
20. Corey Kellow – 3
His one highlight was an impressive clearance kick during a battle of force back.
21. Kyle Preston – N/A
Came on for eight minutes but didn’t get the chance to execute his role.
22. Xavier Saifoloi – 4
Came on in the loose forwards and tried to make an impact, before the game drifted towards the Blues’ favour.
23. Dallas McLeod – 7
Played the entire second half and turned out to be one of the Crusaders’ best on the field. Brought a spark and plenty of effort.
Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.