DAN CARTER’S RETURN to the 10 shirt helped the Crusaders to a 35-18 win over Super Rugby leaders the Hurricanes yesterday, but the impact of Fijian wing Nemani Nadolo was once again crucial for Todd Blackadder’s side.
Nadolo, who was named in the extended Fiji squad for the World Cup earlier this week, scored a try and played an instrumental role in creating two others for the Crusaders as they racked up a bonus-point win.
33-year-old Carter was impressive as he made just his third start of the campaign in the 10 shirt, the Crusaders having used him at inside centre very often in recent times. The All Blacks playmaker was accurate off the tee against the ‘Canes, kicking six from seven.
Carter’s early penalties got the scoreboard ticking for the Crusaders, before Nadolo made his first big play of the game on the 25-minute mark, blasting through Nehe Milner-Skudder and Otere Black then offloading out of Conrad Smith’s tackle to kickstart Mitchell Drummond’s score, David Havili assisting with a lovely second offload.
The Canes did manage to drag themselves back into the game, however, as some clinical handling allowed hooker Dane Coles to dance his way past the last defender in the right corner with 33 minutes gone.
Ardie Savea then finished off a characteristic Hurricanes try almost directly from the kick-off of the second half. Ma’a Nonu’s grubber kick allowed Smith to gather and feed Savea, who exchanged passes with Milner-Skudder before dotting down.
The Crusaders swiftly regathered their composure though, as Nafi Tuitavake smartly finished off a score five minutes after Savea dotted down.
Nadolo then stepped up to once again show his remarkable attacking prowess, laying on a try for Matt Todd.
With the Crusaders on their way to seeing out the game, Nadolo then got a five-point reward for his efforts when he took advantage of a defensive error in the 73rd minute.
Carter launched an accurate diagonal kick deep to the right of the Canes’ defence, where Nonu allowed the ball to bounce over his own tryline as he apparently attempted to shepherd Nadolo and allow Milner-Skudder to gather.
The Fijian simply chased hard and dived in to score his sixth try of the Super Rugby season. Used in the centre by his national team, Nadolo could be one of the stars of this year’s World Cup.
The Hurricanes remain at the top of the Super Rugby table despite yesterday’s loss to the ‘Saders.
Elsewhere, the Brumbies beat the Bulls 22-16 to stay at the helm of the Australian conference, while Tony McGahan’s Rebels were defeated 25-21 by the Sharks.
This morning saw the impressive Highlanders record an important 36-9 win over the Chiefs to secure fourth position in the overall log and mark themselves out as a force to be reckoned with come play-off time.
The Queensland Reds managed to break their run of miserable form with a 32-10 win over the Force that saw Quade Cooper show some promising signs.
