Crusaders vs Chiefs

Join Newshub from 7pm for the Super Rugby opener at Orangetheory Stadium.

Damian McKenzie made his return for the Chiefs in the opening round of Super Rugby Pacific. Photo / Getty Images. Follow the action as the Crusaders host ...

Tries for Alex Nankivell and Cortez Ratima followed to leave the Crusaders shellshocked. The final scoreline suggests otherwise but the Chiefs didn’t have it all their own way. Such a figure is unheard of for the Crusaders. From the resulting lineout, Weber’s superb delayed short ball sent Sam Cane over as the Chiefs stole the lead for the first time. Those chances rapidly disappeared for the Crusaders in the second half to bring the defending champions back down to earth with a thud. McKenzie underlined his influential display with a pinpoint 50/22 kick.

Five takeaways from the Chiefs' stunning 31-10 win over the Crusaders in Christchurch in the opening game of the 2023 Super Rugby Pacific.

A spinoff of more ball in play is elevated fatigue for the players, and it showed. It is worrying, but the men from Christchurch are hugely impressive, and they will be back to their best. However, it was not to be, and a quick look at the match statistics highlights exactly where it went wrong. Scrummaging is a slight concern, but the work done to make up for it by this mobile pack was outstanding. However, in the second half, the flair-filled star began to pull the strings integrating some of the other exciting stars in the backline, such as Shaun Stevenson, who had an outstanding game, and Alex Nankivell looks to be building on a good 2022 season. Richie Mo’unga and Damian McKenzie were rusty off the tee, and there was a lot of back-and-forth kicking in the first 40.

Super Rugby Pacific welcomed the 2023 season with the reigning champions hosting their fierce rivals from Waikato, the Chiefs.

Richie Mo’unga handled the majority of the Chiefs’ tactical kicking game at the back. [David Havili](https://www.rugbypass.com/players/david-kaetau-havili/) (vc) – 8 While his strength is in the physical game, the pace of the other outside backs had Fainga’anuku a step behind in some scramble play. Initiated some varied attack throughout the first half. [Mitchell Drummond](https://www.rugbypass.com/players/mitchell-drummond/) – 6 Regardless, Blackadder’s chances at claiming the All Blacks No 6 jersey are off to a fine start in 2023. Doesn’t quite possess the same accuracy as his brothers when it comes to the grubber but two efforts in the first half came off well. [Scott Barrett](https://www.rugbypass.com/players/scott-barrett/) (c) – 9 Both had early jitters with the lineout but Taylor looked to make up for it with opportunistic snipes around the ruck. [Codie Taylor](https://www.rugbypass.com/players/codie-taylor/) (vc) – 7 Showed good enthusiasm in the contact whether it was in the tackle or at the breakdown. The second 40 was a different story though, the Chiefs started taking their opportunities with ball in hand and scored 24 unanswered points.