All You Need to Know: Crusaders v Rebels

The Crusaders are back in Melbourne for Round 9 of Super Rugby Pacific ’23. It’s the Rebels at AAMI Park and our last trip over the ditch save a potential finals match-up. 

We’re coming off the back of a bye week that marked a halfway point for the season – a chance to reflect on successes and lessons learned. James Marshall, Crusaders Assistant Coach, said it was “nice having a week to step away” from the “washing machine” of week-on-week competition.

“We looked at a lot of the stats, how we’re tracking, and things we can do better going into what is an important time of the year,” Marshall said. 

“We haven’t really hit our straps yet and had a few messy games. There are different reasons for that, obviously injuries were part of that, and we never really got to play the same team back to back making for a lot of new combinations. 

“A lot of guys have had a taste of game time and been given a chance to prove themselves, so now it’s going to be more of a selection headache more than anything else, where we’ve got to make a decision about who’s performed the best and who’s the best fit for each game.” 

Heading into an away contest on a big stage, and one week out from facing table-leaders the Chiefs, there’s never an easy game. The Rebels are fielding six capped Wallabies and two others with international test experience. 

Their No. 10 Carter Gordon is fresh from a Wallabies camp hoping to get a seat on the team bus at the Rugby World Cup in France.