Gather around, whānau - every Thursday I will be tackling a current event happening in sport. This is 'As I See It'...
This hurts me to the core but the Crusaders are winning the Super Rugby Pacific Final on Saturday night. I know, but hear me out!
As a ride-or-die Blues fan, this is a vomit-inducing opinion to carry, I agree, but it has to be said - they deserve it. Well, at least their coach does.
I’m a big-time Scott Robertson fan and I think this year more than any of the previous six, the man has earned his red and black stripes.
The injury toll is horrific. There have been more All Blacks off the park than on it at times, but Razor has continued to back the next cab off the rank - so much so that one of those cabs (Dallas McLeod) happened to bolt his way into the All Blacks Rugby Championship squad.
There have been a few un-Crusader-like hiccups along the way.
The 25-24 loss to the Fijian Drua in Lautoka, hammered at home 31-10 by the Chiefs in round one, a 27-26 slip up against the Hurricanes a few weeks back, plus coming up short again against the Chiefs in the game of season - that last hiccup was a 34-24 lose at FMG Stadium Waikato, the sold-out venue for Saturday's final.
But - they were still good enough to comfortably finish second and crucially book home advantage for the first two weeks of the playoffs.
They handled the Drua with ease in the quarter-finals, and then eviscerated the Blues with one of the most complete 80-minute performances in franchise history. That score? 52-15.
They face a Chiefs side that has no apparent weakness: the best 10 in the country right now, an electric back three, a bruising and athletic loose forward trio, plus a tight five that holds no fear of the Crusaders - even if Sam Whitelock plays.
But Razor will figure out a way - it’s what he does as a coach. It’s why so many have been clamoring for him to coach the All Blacks, it’s the reason why so many are excited about the future of the All Blacks under his leadership.
He has an ability to just figure it out.
Flashback to twelve months ago to the 2022 Final: The Crusaders are facing the Blues at Eden Park, it was the Blues’ time according to some. But not Razor - he outcoached and outsmarted his mate Leon MacDonald in a game-planning masterclass.
The players buy into what he’s selling, and I just can’t see how his Crusaders story ends with anything other than victory on Saturday night - Razor has earned that ending.
As I see it... the Crusaders are winning on Saturday night, but I’ll leave you with this: Go the Chiefs!
Catch Brad on The Run Home with Kirst & Beav, 3-6pm weekdays on SENZ.
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