Veterans to lead charge for Crusaders in semi-final
All Blacks Richie McCaw and Dan Carter determined to get Canterbury side fired up for Super Rugby showdown with South Africa’s Coastal Sharks
Cold southwesterly winds are bringing snow to Christchurch but stalwarts Richie McCaw and Dan Carter are jumping around like spring lambs as the Canterbury Crusaders prepare for their Super Rugby semi-final against the Coastal Sharks.
McCaw, according to local media, was the first out of the changing sheds at training earlier this week, barrelling along at full tilt while the rest of his teammates sauntered onto the field.
The 33-year-old All Blacks captain's eagerness to drive his side to an 11th Super Rugby final undoubtedly has been fuelled by a lack of playing time for a month after he broke a rib during the test series against England.
I haven’t seen [Dan Carter] this committed and excited about this environment
The eagerness may also have been to highlight to his coaches that he was ready and willing to throw his body into the fray against a formidable Sharks outfit that destroyed the Otago Highlanders up front last weekend.
"We're going into a semi-final and we've learned from the past that it's fine being available to play," assistant coach Tabai Matson said. "But we actually need people who are ready to go and be at 100 miles per hour."
The most successful team in Super Rugby, the Crusaders have not won a title since 2008 and the closest they have come to adding an eighth was when they lost the final to the Queensland Reds in 2011 after a brilliant individual try by Will Genia.
The Crusaders' one-eyed supporters have been grumbling about the "drought" - despite the team making at least the semi-finals every season since.
For many, another failure should mean the sack for coach Todd Blackadder. Or worse, banishment to Auckland.