The Crusaders have special plans for the Bulls in Pretoria this weekend, with coach Todd Blackadder hinting at a secret strategy they believe can get them up to a result that will keep their semifinal aspirations alive. Crusaders believe they’ve spotted a weakness they can exploit.

Blackadder is not very specific about what the plans are but a few remarks he made left some suggestion of what they plan to do. When asked about the inclusion of Daniel Bowden in the place Ryan Crotty at center, he said the following:

“It is part strategic, and part a desire to give Crotty a rest after a heavy workload.” He also suggested we’d see Dan Carter and Bowden mix and match at first receiver depending on tactical requirements.

 “We just felt we needed bit of spark there… [plus] he’s got a good kicking game, so we’ve got a left and right kicker. I just think with the way the Bulls ‘D’ up, if you want to play a territory game you need to have more than one player in the backline who can kick.”

Blackadder added that for the Bulls it is all about territorial advantage and that the Bulls’ primary strength is their lineout.

So what do you think will be the secret Crusader strategy?

I think the back three (No’s 15, 13 and 14) are going to hang back and wait for the kicks. The main aim and task of these back three are going to be to throw the ball in quickly –to prevent line-outs in their own half- and to kick to ball into the corners forcing the bulls to play inside their own 10-yards area. They will trust and rely on the fact that the bull will keep kicking possession away when in their own 10-yards area.  Their strategy will therefore be to return the kicks with interest and to spoil and disrupt the bull’s line-out ball; even risking penalties as it will be to far away for the bulls to kick for goal.

They will keep doing this hoping that the bulls under pressure and pinned down in their own 10-yards area will eventually make a mistake such as a poorly executed tactical kick and  they will then  pound on any mistake launching counter attacks with the back three and Carter sending the ball repeatedly wide –away from the heavy bulls pack.

On their own ball –from within their own half- they will kick tactically using the left right foot combination (Carter and Bowden) with the aim of playing the game in the bulls half of the field. In the bulls 10-yards area they will spread their own ball wide at pace trying to tire out the heavy bulls pack. They will switch Bowden and Carter when they run the ball and use Carter to attack the 10/12 and 12/13 channels.  

This strategy is not new and the Crusaders have had success with this against the bulls on numerous previous occasions. I am willing to wager that if the bulls are as dopey and unaware as on those previous occasions they’ll get caught by this simple strategy again.

The bulls will need to kick the ball into the pavilion to prevent the quick throw-in; keep slowing the game down and make sure they go forward at the breakdowns.

In terms of going forward at the breakdowns. One thing I’ve noticed with the Stormers is the tendency to go over the attackers back, swamp and graph the attacker under the armpits -especially if the attacker bends over and head charge into the defenders- and turn him around pulling him in the direction of his own goal line. This defensive strategy has two benefits apart from preventing the attacking team going forward at the breakdowns. If the attacker goes to ground with the ball he has to release it and the defender then pulls him over the ball. The first benefit is then that the defender is between the ball carrier and his supportive players which are trying to come through the gate.   The second benefit is that the attacker is pulled off the ball leaving the ball lying in the open for the defenders. Not easy to do and they (the Stormers) are not always succesfull with it but it can help to stop momentum and create turnover ball whenever it comes off.