The Blues' big opening win over the Rebels seems a long time ago now. The Crusaders will have returned from Brisbane from their miraculous 22-20 victory over the Reds with a mounting casualty list but bolstered self belief. His counterpart at the Blues, West, however, did not have such a good evening, and Umaga suggested afterwards that Piers Francis could be given an opportunity in the No10 jersey. "We had more ball too and we looked after it a lot better," Umaga said of his team's finish. One player to enhance his reputation was halfback Augustine Pulu, who probably got the better of his Highlanders and All Black opposite Aaron Smith.

Source: New Zealand Herald March 12, 2017 03:22 UTC