by OPINION: Blues fans came out in large numbers on Sunday hoping, some even believing, that they had a team to support who were once again as good as the Crusaders.
But for the 13th time in a row they came off second best, so theyll go back to dreaming about the Blues golden days for a bit longer.
It was seven years and 21 days since the Blues last beat the Crusaders, winning 35-24 at Eden Park, on February 28, 2014.
Richie Mo’unga led the Crusaders to a convincing win at Eden Park.
But that was something of a false dawn for the sleeping giants of Super Rugby, as they still ended up finishing bottom of the New Zealand conference that year.
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However, under the leadership of Leon MacDonald, the Blues have clearly been on the rise and there was genuine hope last year that they could defeat their arch rivals from the south, only to lose 26-15 in Christchurch and have the return fixture rubbed out because of a coronavirus lockdown.
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Sam Whitelock has played his rugby through an era where the Crusaders have dominated the Blues.
So this was the Blues chance to show that theyre up there with the Crusaders again and that MacDonalds rebuild is genuine.
Because until they can defeat the Crusaders, theyll remain in their shadows and the reminiscing about that try Carlos Spencer scored in 2004 will continue.
What was clear from the beginning of this game was that the Blues are no longer in fear of the Crusaders.
So many times in recent years theyd gone into this fixture knowing what the outcome would be and it had become a fallacy to say that this was the biggest rugby game in New Zealand outside an All Blacks test.
The Blues did shine in patches in this game, with Akira Ioane, Nepo Laulala and Caleb Clarke all standing out.
But there were also too many errors, they panicked in the red zone and had defensive lapses which were things that didnt happen as much with the Crusaders.
The Crusaders were as consistent as they always are, and while hooker Codie Taylor had one of his best games in a red and black jersey, the thing that makes this team stand out is that there isnt much difference between the best and worst player.
So for now at least, the status quo remains, the upstarts from the north have been put back in their place and the Crusaders remain the dominant team in Super Rugby Aotearoa.
For a competition that only contains five teams, its not healthy that theres so much disparity between them.
For the sake of Super Rugby Aotearoa there needs to be a team that can challenge the Crusaders.
People thought it could be the Blues, but for now at least, the Crusaders remain head and shoulders above all the other teams and everyone else is battling it out to be the next best.
