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Richie Mo'unga of the Crusaders passes the ball against the Highlanders, kicked a lot in the latter stages of the game.
OPINION: The Crusaders don’t kick the ball in the last 20 minutes of a match. They just don’t. The Crusaders keep on moving men and possession into space until the opposition runs out of breath and defenders. And then the earth stopped turning. In the final quarter of the match against the Highlanders, Richie Mo’unga kicked and kicked and kicked.
Tactically, it was not a terrible idea, but it was not the plan of the Crusaders’ coaches who had talked about depth and getting to the edge. Mo’unga abandoned the plan. Too many moves had broken down and looked confused. Mo’unga was no longer sure of the game that he was trying to play, and he did not appear to be sure of the men around him.