Following the Crusaders\u2019 31-24 victory over the Hurricanes in Wellington, here are our five takeaways from the New Zealand Super Rugby Pacific derby.<\/b><\/p>\n
The top line<\/p>\n
It was a nip-and-tuck victory for the Crusaders<\/a> in the end as Rob Penney\u2019s charges keep the pace at the top of the table.<\/p>\n The front-row union celebrated three tries for the \u2018Saders with prop Tamaiti Williams and in-form hooker Ioane Moananu (2) crossing for five-pointers for the visitors with James O\u2019Connor and Chay Fihaki rounding out the scoring for the tournament\u2019s most successful club.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, it is more heartbreak for Du\u2019Plessis Kirifi and his men as Peter Umaga-Jensen (2) and Peter Lakai grabbed tries in another defeat for the Clark Laidlaw-coached side that fell short of a late comeback.<\/p>\n The Crusaders raced into a 24-10 lead at the break despite conceding the first try, and while it was a rather dominant display until that point, they fell off the pace in the second half, with the Hurricanes<\/a> capitalising to mount their fightback but could not finish off the job.<\/p>\n Vintage Jason Ryan Crusaders<\/p>\n Jason Ryan will have watched today\u2019s match with a beaming smile on his face as the Crusaders pack produced a dominant display akin to those they put in when he was in charge.<\/p>\n Williams\u2019 score was a smart bit of innovation, getting the powerhouse prop to enter the maul late, having started the lineout out in the backline. His entry into the maul resulted in an explosion forward but it was initially set superbly, a trademark of Ryan\u2019s tenure.<\/p>\n On the flip side, the Hurricanes got almost no purchase from their driving maul, with the Crusaders defending outstandingly in that facet of the game, making it a difficult platform for the hosts to launch from.<\/p>\n The \u2018Canes seldomly contested at lineout time which gave Barrett and co. clean attacking ball from the set-piece but the hosts weren\u2019t afforded the same luxury in possession with Ethan Blackadder, Scott Barrett, Cullen Grace and Jamie Hannah making life difficult for hooker Asafo Aumua and his jumpers.<\/p>\n Referee James Doleman was quick to award free kicks, particularly in the first half, at scrum time, meaning that Williams and Fletcher Newell were denied opportunities to battle their fellow All Blacks.<\/a> However, the Crusaders did hold their own even when scrummaging with one less player.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49\u00a0<\/b>Crusaders player ratings: Scott Barrett \u2018silences critics\u2019 in statement shift while returning All Blacks back has a \u2018mare\u2019<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49\u00a0<\/b>Murray Mexted slams Scott Barrett \u2018hoo-ha\u2019 as All Blacks\u2019 \u2018proven combination\u2019 backed for 2025<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49\u00a0<\/b>Hurricanes player ratings: All Blacks rookie\u2019s \u2018superb attacking efforts\u2019 in vain in Crusaders defeat<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Scott Barrett lays down a marker<\/p>\n \u201cI hold myself to a high standard and potentially some of the performances early in the year haven\u2019t been where I\u2019d like,\u201d All Blacks skipper Barrett admitted earlier in the week.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the media\u2019s job to create interest and I\u2019ve got opinions on performances and possibly those opinions have been not far off the mark.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving reflected upon that [last week], I\u2019m looking forward to bounce this week.\u201d<\/p>\n And bounce back Barrett did. His timing and angle on his run to unlock the Hurricanes\u2019 defence in a wonderfully crafted move was simply perfect to set up Moananu for his first try while he assisted another score for Fihaki.<\/p>\n Those two actions were his real highlight plays, but he did much more that won\u2019t be clipped up with dramatic music on YouTube. His lineout work was excellent as the Crusaders posted a 100% success rate at the set-piece while he was a willing carrier and distributor.<\/p>\n He was a key component in stalling the Hurricanes\u2019 maul too and put in a tidy breakdown shift. In short, it was a statement performance from the All Blacks captain.<\/p>\n