The Crusaders are travelling well at the moment. We’ve won three out of four matches and have a pretty healthy squad but on the other hand things can change very quickly so you always have to be on your guard.
Teams are very vulnerable early in this competition. There is a little bit of inconsistency in performance and teams are getting up and responding after defeats. You could see that in the Reds losing to the Blues at home then travelling to Hamilton last weekend and beating the Chiefs after being down three tries to nil in the first 20 minutes.
The Stormers have come back too with a good win over the Highlanders in Cape Town and the Cheetahs tipping over the Hurricanes. I’ve said it many times but any team can beat any other in the Rebel Sport Super 14.
If you look at the points table, it’s very congested at the top. Five teams, including the Bulls, Chiefs, Crusaders, Hurricanes and Stormers, are within one point of each other.
You can’t afford to take the foot off the accelerator.
After a very good victory over the Blues at AMI Stadium last weekend, we are preparing for the Chiefs in Hamilton on Friday night. It’s a short turnaround for us so we have to get everything exactly right.
The Chiefs have a magic back three in Sitiveni Sivivatu, Mils Muliaina and Lelia Masaga. These players all have the ‘X-factor’ and are very exciting ball runners.
The Chiefs were finalists in this competition last year and have a lot of experience. They hit a bit of turbulence in that loss to the Reds but who hasn’t in this competition?
They will be tough to beat, especially in Hamilton. I can see similarities between them and the Blues and we will approach the game in much the same way.
It’s no secret that we will be trying to get on top up front and putting pressure on their dangerous backs with our defence.
Some onlookers at Crusaders training have commented that rugby players seem to do little running as part of their preparation these days.
I can assure you that players still get the miles in but mostly during pre-season training.
At this stage of the season it’s too late to start getting fit. It’s all about match fitness and maintenance. At the Crusaders we put a massive amount of emphasis on recovery and nutrition.
The physicality on defence is a step up even on last year which is why recovery is so important.
You also need depth in this competition which is another reason why we are travelling relatively well.
We have Corey Flynn back in the frame for us - he came through last week’s win over the Blues well after entering the match via the bench following an ankle injury in pre-season.
And also getting a good hit out on Saturday was Chris Jack – Jacko played a very good 70 minutes in the Crusaders Development Unit’s victory over the Blues Development.
Chris is a class act and it was great to see him coming through the match following his recovery from wrist surgery.
On the other hand, hooker Quentin MacDonald’s anterior cruciate ligament knee injury in that same match is a massive blow. We wish him a speedy recovery.
A couple of weeks ago he was scoring the bonus point try for us against the Sharks at AMI Stadium. It just shows you have to take every opportunity while you can.