Blues’ returning All Blacks star says he ‘feels sorry’ for the Crusaders
Patrick Tuipulotu on the charge for the Blues in Super Rugby Pacific in 2023.
Although the Crusaders are the Blues’ biggest rivals, the Auckland-based side’s co-captain Patrick Tuipulotu admits that he has empathy for the Super Rugby Pacific champions after their horror start to the season.
The Crusaders are the most successful side in Super Rugby history but have been struggling in this year’s tournament as they lost all four of their matches so far against the Chiefs, Waratahs, Fijian Drua and Hurricanes.
Crusaders’ worst ever Super Rugby start
That is the Christchurch-based outfit’s worst ever Super Rugby start and it could get worse when they head to Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday to take on the Blues.
And Blues co-captain Tuipulotu, who is returning to action after sustaining a broken jaw ahead of the campaign, has plenty of sympathy for Crusaders head coach Rob Penney and his troops.
“The last time I beat them was 10 years ago in my first start, my second game here,” Tuipulotu told Stuff, referring to the Blues’ last triumph over the Crusaders at Eden Park, a 35-24 result in Round 3 of the 2014 season.
“That makes this extra special. I suppose the hard thing is we have got a feeling for how the Crusaders are going. Their run is quite tough at the moment, but any time they come up against the Blues they’re a different team, and that’s something we’ve got to watch out for.”
Apart from not being on the winning side against the Cusaders in a decade, the champions have dominated matches against the Blues in recent years as they clinched a 21-7 win over the Auckland-based outfit in the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific final and cruised to a 52-15 victory in a one-sided semi-final in Christchurch last year.
That leaves the question: Does Tuipulotu really feel for the Crusaders?
“I feel sorry for them,” repeated the behemoth All Blacks second-row. “I’ve been in their position before, and it’s quite hard to be in. You come in every Monday, looking at each other, trying to come up with solutions, and nothing is quite working. I certainly have a bit of empathy there.”
Despite Tuipulotu’s empathy for the Crusaders, Blues head coach Vern Cotter said it’s important for his team not to underestimate their opponents.
“The past record would say they’ve had the edge largely,” he said. “We know if we don’t get it right and go through the process, and trust that process, we will come off second best.
“It’s around doing things in the game we think will work for us and being able to adapt in any key moment. Every time we play them they seem to have something that unsettles us.
“Also, we have strengths in our game and things we’re working on, and hopefully we can surprise them with that.”
Wary of the Crusaders
And Cotter believes the Crusaders’ current situation make them a dangerous team to face on Saturday.
“The past record would say they’ve had the edge largely,” he added. “We know if we don’t get it right and go through the process, and trust that process, we will come off second best.
“It’s around doing things in the game we think will work for us and being able to adapt in any key moment. Every time we play them they seem to have something that unsettles us.
“Also, we have strengths in our game and things we’re working on, and hopefully we can surprise them with that.”
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