Latest news with #CodieTaylor
Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Crusaders see off Reds for spot in semis
It wasn't pretty, but the Crusaders have recorded a dominant 32-12 win over the Reds in Christchurch. Friday night's result means the Crusaders can sit back and watch Saturday's games to find out who they'll play in next weekend's semi-finals, while the Reds will be wondering where it all went wrong after such a promising start to the season. A good start would be to look at their scrum, which was smashed to bits by the Crusaders from start to finish in tough conditions in Christchurch thanks to the horrific weather battering the South Island. Crusaders front rowers Codie Taylor, Fletcher Newell and Tamaiti Williams. The Crusaders racked up a 5-0 penalty count early in the first half, with three coming off scrums which in turn were converted into excellent field position. Scott Barrett got the home side on the board first with a well-taken yet slightly questionable try from a turnover near the Reds' line. It certainly appeared that the All Blacks captain came in from an offside position but the referee and TMO seemed more preoccupied with whether Barrett grounded the ball, which he did, so the try stood. The only other scoring in the first half, despite a couple of decent Reds linebreaks, was when Tamaiti Williams crashed over in the 27th minute. The Reds really needed to score straight after the break if they were to have any chance, however by that stage the game had regressed into more of a kicking duel. A half break by Christian Lio-Willie out of nowhere set up the try of the match to Noah Hotham, with the halfback regathering his own kick despite the attention of several Reds defenders. From then on, the result was inevitable, and while the Reds were eventually rewarded with a couple of late tries, it was clear that they'd resigned themselves to defeat long before. It wasn't all perfect for the Crusaders, though. Williams' try was his last act before leaving the field with a knee injury, while Ethan Blackadder was yellow-carded for a needless high tackle. Still, the job was done, and the Canterbury-based side now sit one game away from ultimate redemption for last season.
RNZ News
23-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Crusaders lose Scott Barrett but determined to avoid 'banana skin' defeat
Scott Barrett scores a try during the Crusaders v Chiefs, Super Rugby Pacific match, Apollo Projects Stadium, Christchurch. Photo: Martin Hunter/ActionPress Crusaders vs Waratahs Kick-off: 9:35pm Friday 16 May Allianz Stadium, Sydney Live blog updates on RNZ Sport The Crusaders are missing their skipper and All Blacks front rowers Codie Taylor and Fletcher Newell but they're confident they can get back to winning ways. All Blacks captain Scott Barrett and Newell are injured, while Taylor is being rested from a Crusaders side already without All Blacks Will Jordan and Ethan Blackadder. Codie Taylor of the Crusaders scores a try. Photo: © Photosport Ltd 2025 The race to be Super Rugby's top qualifier is now well and truly on, with the Crusaders, Brumbies and Chiefs seemingly in a three way battle for first place and home advantage in the playoffs. The Crusaders have three games left, while the Chiefs and Brumbies have two each. The third placed Crusaders take on the NSW Waratahs in Sydney on Friday night knowing that a bonus point win would take them to the top of the standings. A win without a bonus point would take them level with the Chiefs, who have a bye this weekend. Crusaders coach Rob Penney said they learnt a lot from the 35-19 defeat to the Chiefs in Christchurch. "Our game management was a bit sloppy, particularly in the second half," Penney said. "We did such a good job in the first half and we went away from it a little bit in the second half. Number of reasons for that. We've had a great review, got great alignment. "The coaches have done a great job of the reset heading into the Waratahs because we'll need to be good over there." Teddy Wilson of the Waratahs scores a try. Photo: Dean Lewins/Photosport Penney believes the eighth placed Waratahs will be dangerous. "They're the best team when at home. They have a great record there. They've struggled away, but dangerous at home. We're excited about that challenge," Penney said. The Waratahs have had more success than any other Australian side against the Crusaders in recent times, beating them three times since 2017, the most recent last season. All of those wins were in Australia. "They get up (for matches against the Crusaders), they love the challenge of playing one of the best teams in the world and they consistently get up for that game," Penney said. "They've been massively difficult for every Crusaders team they have played, whether it's been here or over there. They're a dangerous proposition if we're not in the right space. Short turnaround, travel, there's a lot of little banana skins that we've got to be wary of." Penney said the Crusaders have focused on ending matches strongly after a tough second half against the Chiefs. "In any sport you want to be on the front foot early and get your game going. You could have said last week we got that underway pretty well and then folded, which has been a bit of a challenge for us, finishing properly. "We want to start well and end well and have a great middle. That's our challenge this week."
The Age
16-05-2025
- Sport
- The Age
Joe Schmidt should let Wallabies play for their states against the Lions. Here's why
There isn't an apples-to-apples comparison to be made between the British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand in 2017 and the one in Australia this year, at least in terms of scheduling. The All Blacks, to the pleasant surprise of many at the time, allowed established Test stars such as Sam Whitelock, Codie Taylor, Owen Franks and Israel Dagg to play for the Crusaders against the Lions just two weeks before the first Test of the series. Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt has signalled this won't happen this year, and the apparent discrepancy has already been picked up in the northern hemisphere, where fears of the tour being devalued are a quadrennial storyline. The complexity of this year's schedule is that the Wallabies are playing against Fiji in Newcastle on July 6, one day after the Waratahs host the Lions in Sydney and four days after the Reds welcome them in Brisbane. It is the addition of that Fiji fixture two weeks before the first Test on July 19 that will weaken the Reds and the Waratahs for the Lions tour games, not Schmidt's desire to shield his players from injury risk, and the question really become one of whether the Wallabies are better served by the Fiji Test or playing in the tour games. It is self-evident that the tour as a whole would benefit from the Wallabies' top-liners being available for the first three tour games (the Force, the Reds and the Waratahs – the Brumbies game is just 10 days away from the opening Test and a less realistic prospect). Imagine the frisson in Brisbane if Harry Wilson was permitted to run it off the back fence against the Lions in a Queensland jersey on July 2. But from a high-performance perspective, the tour games are also surely better preparation for the Test series than the hit-out against Fiji, whose style is completely different to that of the Lions and whose players are largely familiar to the Wallabies thanks to the presence of the Drua in Super Rugby Pacific.
Sydney Morning Herald
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Joe Schmidt should let Wallabies play for their states against the Lions. Here's why
There isn't an apples-to-apples comparison to be made between the British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand in 2017 and the one in Australia this year, at least in terms of scheduling. The All Blacks, to the pleasant surprise of many at the time, allowed established Test stars such as Sam Whitelock, Codie Taylor, Owen Franks and Israel Dagg to play for the Crusaders against the Lions just two weeks before the first Test of the series. Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt has signalled this won't happen this year, and the apparent discrepancy has already been picked up in the northern hemisphere, where fears of the tour being devalued are a quadrennial storyline. The complexity of this year's schedule is that the Wallabies are playing against Fiji in Newcastle on July 6, one day after the Waratahs host the Lions in Sydney and four days after the Reds welcome them in Brisbane. It is the addition of that Fiji fixture two weeks before the first Test on July 19 that will weaken the Reds and the Waratahs for the Lions tour games, not Schmidt's desire to shield his players from injury risk, and the question really become one of whether the Wallabies are better served by the Fiji Test or playing in the tour games. It is self-evident that the tour as a whole would benefit from the Wallabies' top-liners being available for the first three tour games (the Force, the Reds and the Waratahs – the Brumbies game is just 10 days away from the opening Test and a less realistic prospect). Imagine the frisson in Brisbane if Harry Wilson was permitted to run it off the back fence against the Lions in a Queensland jersey on July 2. But from a high-performance perspective, the tour games are also surely better preparation for the Test series than the hit-out against Fiji, whose style is completely different to that of the Lions and whose players are largely familiar to the Wallabies thanks to the presence of the Drua in Super Rugby Pacific.
RNZ News
15-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Crusaders lose captain Scott Barrett but determined to avoid 'banana skin' defeat
Scott Barrett scores a try during the Crusaders v Chiefs, Super Rugby Pacific match, Apollo Projects Stadium, Christchurch. Photo: Martin Hunter/ActionPress Crusaders vs Waratahs Kick-off: 9:35pm Friday 16 May Allianz Stadium, Sydney Live blog updates on RNZ Sport The Crusaders are missing their skipper and All Blacks front rowers Codie Taylor and Fletcher Newell but they're confident they can get back to winning ways. All Blacks captain Scott Barrett and Newell are injured, while Taylor is being rested from a Crusaders side already without All Blacks Will Jordan and Ethan Blackadder. Codie Taylor of the Crusaders scores a try. Photo: © Photosport Ltd 2025 The race to be Super Rugby's top qualifier is now well and truly on, with the Crusaders, Brumbies and Chiefs seemingly in a three way battle for first place and home advantage in the playoffs. The Crusaders have three games left, while the Chiefs and Brumbies have two each. The third placed Crusaders take on the NSW Waratahs in Sydney on Friday night knowing that a bonus point win would take them to the top of the standings. A win without a bonus point would take them level with the Chiefs, who have a bye this weekend. Crusaders coach Rob Penney said they learnt a lot from the 35-19 defeat to the Chiefs in Christchurch. "Our game management was a bit sloppy, particularly in the second half," Penney said. "We did such a good job in the first half and we went away from it a little bit in the second half. Number of reasons for that. We've had a great review, got great alignment. "The coaches have done a great job of the reset heading into the Waratahs because we'll need to be good over there." Teddy Wilson of the Waratahs scores a try. Photo: Dean Lewins/Photosport Penney believes the eighth placed Waratahs will be dangerous. "They're the best team when at home. They have a great record there. They've struggled away, but dangerous at home. We're excited about that challenge," Penney said. The Waratahs have had more success than any other Australian side against the Crusaders in recent times, beating them three times since 2017, the most recent last season. All of those wins were in Australia. "They get up (for matches against the Crusaders), they love the challenge of playing one of the best teams in the world and they consistently get up for that game," Penney said. "They've been massively difficult for every Crusaders team they have played, whether it's been here or over there. They're a dangerous proposition if we're not in the right space. Short turnaround, travel, there's a lot of little banana skins that we've got to be wary of." Penney said the Crusaders have focused on ending matches strongly after a tough second half against the Chiefs. "In any sport you want to be on the front foot early and get your game going. You could have said last week we got that underway pretty well and then folded, which has been a bit of a challenge for us, finishing properly. "We want to start well and end well and have a great middle. That's our challenge this week."
