Do the Crusaders have enough firepower in their backline to overcome the Blues at Eden park?
The current title-holders suffered another blow on Saturday afternoon when they fell 25-24 to the Fijian Drua, with vice-captain and utility back David Havili forced from the field.
Having succumbed to a wrist injury early in the match, Havili now joins midfielder Jack Goodhue (groin) and Will Jordan (migraine) on the sidelines, with return dates yet to be determined for all.
With three of their crucial international backs out of the mix including their preferred and backup fullback, former Crusader Justin Marshall has attempted to unpack the side’s conundrum in the backline.
“They’ve got to try and find a solution at fullback,” Marshall told SENZ’s In The Red.
“Chay Fihaki only got his first game at the weekend and he just looked a little bit underdone (and) you can’t have an underdone player going into a game, a massive game like this, at Eden Park.
“I don’t think you can throw a youngster like Macca Springer in there so all of a sudden in an area where they had massive depth in the outside backs, the Crusaders are looking a little short.
“I don’t know what the answer to that is, apart from possibly playing Fergus Burke there.”
Taking on the Blues in a rematch of the 2022 Grand Final on Saturday night at their Eden Park fortress, Marshall believes Burke is the Crusaders’ best option at the back.
“You’ve got that dual playmaker role, he’s a good defender, as is Richie Mo’unga so if they want to swap them around they can and put Mo’unga at 15 on defence,” he added.
“That’s where I’d go, so that’s a weird backline.
“We’re looking at … I’d go (Mitch) Drummond, I would go for Mo’unga, I’d go for (Braydon) Ennor, (Leicester) Fainga’anuku, wing is Sevu Reece, fullback is Fergus Burke and then the other wing has kind of got me a little bit perplexed. Probably Fihake on the wing.”
With just one win from their first three games of the season, the Crusaders will hope to upset the Blues on their home turf when they clash on Saturday night.