News

The same Crusaders team that beat the Blues by one point last weekend will take on the Highlanders in Dunedin this Saturday night.

The Crusaders came out of the tightly-fought season opener at Eden Park with no serious injuries, and the team impressed the coaches enough to see the same starting fifteen given the nod for round two.

The only change is to the reserves, with Zac Guildford available again to cover on the wing.  That sees Patrick Osborne moved off the bench and likely to represent the Crusader Knights instead.

Lock Tom Donnelly, who made his debut for the Crusaders last week, is looking forward to facing his former Highlanders team mates:  “It does add another dimension to the game because I obviously know a lot of the Highlanders players well and I am familiar with the type of game they play. But at the end of the day you want to perform no matter which team you are up against,” Donnelly said.

UPDATE: Due to Ryan Crotty's previously injured hamstring tightening up recently, he has been pulled from the team to play the Highlanders as a precautionary measure.  Adam Whitelock takes his place at centre and Patrick Osborne comes on to the bench.

Crusaders team to play the Highlanders:

1.    Wyatt Crockett

2.    Quentin MacDonald

3.    Ben Franks

4.    Tom Donnelly

5.    Samuel Whitelock

6.    George Whitelock

7.    Matt Todd

8.    Kieran Read (capt)

9.    Andy Ellis (vice capt)

10. Tyler Bleyendaal

11. Israel Dagg

12. Adam Whitelock

13. Robbie Fruean

14. Sean Maitland

15.  Tom Marshall
    

Reserves:

16. Corey Flynn

17. Owen Franks

18. Luke Romano

19. Luke Whitelock

20. Willie Heinz

21. Patrick Osborne

22. Zac Guildford