Will Jordan overcomes nerves to shine in Crusaders’ demolition job of Force

At Orangetheory Stadium, Christchurch: Crusaders 48 (Brodie McAlister tries 7min, 20min, 42min, Leicester Faing’anuku tries 24min, 47min, Macca Springer tries 40min, 55min, Codie Taylor try 62min; Richie Mo’unga 4 con) Force 13 (Jackson Pugh try 67min; Max Burey 2 pen, con). HT: 24-6

Will Jordan still feels like the player that lit up opposition sides in recent years.

That’s arguably the most important takeaway from the Crusaders’ emphatic 48-13 romp over the Western Force in Christchurch on Saturday evening.

Of course, the five competition points the reigning champions bagged on the back of their bonus point win was also key, but it’s fair to say all eyes were on Jordan in his first game back since a migraine-related illness sidelined him for almost eight months.

“I always felt like when I got out there everything was going to be all good. It was just probably getting up to it that was a bit of a build up,” Jordan said.

“It was nice to get back out, get a few touches and feel pretty similar to the player I was eight months ago. So, I’m happy.”

Having overcome pre-match nerves, Jordan didn’t add to his impressive try-scoring tally (35 in 46 games) on a night the Crusaders touched down eight times, but he provided two neat assists to wing Leicester Fainga’anuku.

The 25-year-old wasn’t perfect – he grassed an early bomb he’d normally gobble up – but there was no mistaking he was back when he glided across the OrangeTheory Stadium turf, ball in two hands, constantly threatening.

Having received the loudest two applauses of the evening – when he was introduced and subbed off after 55 minutes – Jordan chalked up 137 metres on nine carries, beating five defenders and making two clean breaks.

One of those led directly to Fainga’anuku’s first try, when Jordan bolted through a gap and put his wing over for their second of the evening, before a perfectly looped ball preceded Fainga’anuku steam rolling a few defenders on his way over for his brace.

“The first 15 minutes I felt a little bit jumpy. Shelled that high ball, gave away a penalty, and was just a little bit eager. Lungs actually felt surprisingly good, which I guess was the beauty of being able to train for so long,” Jordan said, confirming his illness was similar to 2018, when he missed his rookie year with vertigo and vision issues.

“I’ve got a wee bit more of an idea of what’s going on this time, which is nice, just about trying to manage it and stay on top of it.”

Fainga’anuku’s brace was bettered by rake Brodie McAlister, who completed his hat-trick early in the second half, scoring all three via rolling mauls.

The Crusaders also got quality performances from wing Macca Springer and halfback Noah Hotham, two rookies who will depart for the New Zealand under-20s’ World Cup campaign before the playoffs.

Springer was excellent under the high ball, and scored a gem of a try on the stroke of halftime, when he punched through a gap and stepped his way over the line to give his side a 24-6 lead.

As Hotham showed with his ability to knife open opposition sides with his running game, he offers the Crusaders a dimension they have lacked in recent years from their No 9s.

The Crusaders didn’t just beat the Force at scrum time, they beat them thoroughly and ruthlessly, repeatedly shunting them back and earning penalties.

It made for a dominant night for the hosts, one they bossed throughout, although they’ll know they need to be significantly better against the Blues at the same venue next week.

After all, their game still featured far too many handling errors, highlighted by David Havili throwing a pass well behind Jordan during a set piece move in the first half.

The big moment

Stay tuned for an update on big Crusaders prop Tamaiti Williams. The sight of the 140kg behemoth slowly making his way off the paddock early in the second half will have caused head coach Scott Robertson some anxiety at a time his side was finally starting to get healthy.

Match rating

7/10. It should have been better. A mild Christchurch afternoon, no wind and a perfectly dry track. But the game was blighted by scrum resets, particularly in the first half, making for a stop-start affair.

MVP

It’d be rude not to hand it to rookie wing Macca Springer. Touted as having an extremely bright future, he scored twice, amassed 65 metres on 11 carries, and expertly took a few bombs to help the Crusaders exit.

The big picture

Anything but five points would have been considered a failure for the champs. Now, they must back it up against the Blues next week in a match that will go a long way to determining their playoff seeding.

As for the Force, who haven’t beaten the Crusaders since 2013, they must return home to face the dangerous Drua, a side that just rocked the Hurricanes.