Crusaders bench five-try hero
Today at 01:23 AM
Macca Springer’s reward for scoring five tries is a seat on the Crusaders bench for the Super Rugby showdown with the Blues at Eden Park on Saturday.
The ace finisher lit up the Western Force last week, equalling the single-match try-scoring record set by former Chiefs winger Sean Wainui, only to find himself relegated to the pine for the clash with the defending champions in Auckland(kick-off Saturday, 8.05am SA time).
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Springer was originally dropped from this week’s matchday squad, elevated to the bench due to a late change as coach Rob Penney sticks to his rotation policy.
In other changes, Cullen Grace bolsters the pack while Dallas McLeod slots back into the midfield as Penney attempts to keep the Crusaders within touching distance of the log-leading Chiefs – Ethan Blackadder is sidelined with a quad issue, and Brayden Ennor is out with a hamstring strain.
The Crusaders are 3-1 heading into round 6, a stark contrast to the Blues' single victory in five outings. The defending champions' struggles haven't gone unnoticed, but Penney's focus is firmly on his own team's fortunes—particularly their elusive first away win of 2025. Their last road triumph came in the 2023 Super Rugby final and a trip to Eden Park offers a chance to end that drought.
Crusaders — 15 Will Jordan, 14 Chay Fihaki, 13 Dallas McLeod, 12 David Havili, 11 Sevu Reece, 10 Taha Kemara, 9 Kyle Preston, 8 Christian Lio-Willie, 7 Tom Christie, 6 Cullen Grace, 5 Antonio Shalfoon, 4 Scott Barrett, 3 Fletcher Newell, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Tamaiti Williams
Bench: 16 Ioane Moananu, 17 George Bower, 18 Seb Calder, 19 Quinten Strange, 20 Corey Kellow, 21 Noah Hotham, 22 James O'Connor, 23 Macca Springer
Blues — 15 Corey Evans, 14 Mark Tele'a, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Xavi Taele, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Stephen Perofeta, 9 Sam Nock, 8 Hoskins Sotutu, 7 Dalton Papali'i, 6 Cameron Christie, 5 Josh Beehre, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu (c), 3 Angus Ta'avao, 2 Kurt Eklund, 1 Joshua Fusitu'a
Bench: 16 James Mullan, 17 Jordan Lay, 18 Marcel Renata, 19 Laghlan McWhannell, 20 Tristyn Cook, 21 Finlay Christie, 22 Harry Plummer, 23 Cole Forbes
Photo: Joe Allison/Getty Images
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