DSPN - Devlin Sports Podcast Network
Crusaders Robbed? Round 12 Super Rugby Breakdown with Tony Johnson
04 May 2026
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
This is where the Reds have got an opportunity to go, right, it's us. They'll take on the Chiefs, who are one of the frontrunners. We can beat them at home, then we're capable of beating anyone.
Tony, I just look at this team and I keep looking at where they are on the points table and just thinking, you know, how?
How are they in second spot? I will say it again, I think down the track somewhere I see him as an all-black captain. Probably in the medium term, just let him play his game. Welcome to the DSPN. John Walker wins the 1500m gold medal at the Olympics. The Devlin Sports Podcast Network.
DSPN Super Rugby Round 12. I'm Anthony Johnson from Sky Sport joins us. Before we kick into it, we've got so much to talk about. Should the Crusaders feel aggrieved? Are the Canes in charge? Who's got the toughest running? Where do you figure the Blues in all of this? And those Australian sides, make sense of how they are playing. Is the top six going to stay as it is?
I've been saying that for weeks and now I'm thinking that maybe there might be a change, especially at spot number six. We've got all this to talk about and more.
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So thank you so much for supporting us. Tony, I want to go right back to the source and start on Friday. Here are the results, by the way. They're up on the screen. You see them. Canes, 38. Crusaders, 31. Force beating the Tars in Sydney, 17. Tweety, that score was. Druer, 24. Highlanders, 14. MP, 19. Blues, 45. And the Reds, 30. Brumbies, 21. Here's the points table, as you can see.
Canes on top. Blues, Chiefs, Reds. Satyrs, Brumbies. There's your top six.
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Chapter 2: Should the Crusaders feel aggrieved over the forward pass?
But a logjam now. Druer, Tars, Landers, all on 20 points.
Chapter 3: Are the Hurricanes in charge of the competition?
The Force are lingering on 18. MP, obviously, have only got the one win, and that was their opening game away, the Druer.
Chapter 4: Who has the toughest run-in for the playoffs?
I want to start on Friday night time.
Chapter 5: Where do the Blues stand in the current rankings?
Should the Crusaders feel aggrieved about Fahey's try and the Ford pass? And I remember being on Radio Sport and arguing with Telf about this. And Peter Thorburn was big on it as well.
Chapter 6: What has happened to the Brumbies' defense this season?
And the physics of throwing an orange out of a moving car. Oh, that was Murray. Murray had this thing about throwing pumpkins out of a moving truck. That was the one.
Chapter 7: Is the top six in Super Rugby going to stay the same?
And does it go backwards out of the truck, out of the hands or whatever? I think we've got to trust our eyes, don't we? And I thought that was as Ford as Ford as Ford.
When I first saw it, I thought that's forward simply because, as Glenn Newman pointed out, the support player ahead of the tackled player. But the reference point I use is the lines on the field because camera angles can be a little bit deceiving. Now, before we go any further, I just want to say that maths was not my strong point. In fact, I couldn't add up the number of times I failed maths.
You see what I did there? Trigonometry was not my strong point. Pythagoras would be useful at this point. But I just thought when you look, the camera angle, as I say, can be deceiving. But when you look at the angle of, I think it's the five metre line that was ahead and the angle that the ball travelled, to me that says forward pass. I think they should have looked more closely at it.
I think I just got the distinct impression that Glenn Newman was trying tactfully to suggest by saying that he was in front of the ball carrier, that it was a forward pass. I certainly think, and coming at a reasonably important time of the game.
Yeah, look, there was 65 minutes, okay? I don't think it defined the game. No, I agree. But what it did do was it put the scoreline out to 38-24, which means if it was a seven-point gap, the danger is the Hurricanes can see that late try like they did, and that changes everything. Yeah.
But then you've also got to factor in the possibility that the Crusaders were then awarded a try where there might have been some doubt about whether the ball got to the line. And I think that could have warranted another look. Now, look, Martin, we keep saying and we were saying it all last year and the beginning of this year that the TMO is getting involved too much.
And we've seen games where it seems like the TMO practically driving things from upstairs, which is not what we want in the game. And there was a determination to allow the referees on the field a bit more say in how things are done so that we didn't have all these interventions from the TMO. And so they changed the protocols around that a bit. You can't have it both ways, I suppose.
The TMO, I think, has to be there in certain occasions to sort out hairline decisions, especially when, I suppose, every hairline decision needs to be judged fairly. They just get brought into sharper context when it's a game on the line.
If this was a finals game, or if this was the final, then that decision would just be magnified, of course. A couple of things you're saying. When he's ahead, that means just the sheer physics of your body, you're going to have to pick it up from here, aren't you? If he was behind him, he would have had to turn this way to get it.
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Chapter 8: How did the Hurricanes perform against the Crusaders?
Same with the Drua as well, who've suddenly started finding their form late in the season. If the Drua had been playing like they're playing now, early on in the year, they'd be right in the middle.
Even that loss to MP, Tony, if they'd won that game, they would be right there in the opening game.
That was not a great start to the season. They just haven't been able. Obviously, wins on the road have been hard to come by until a couple of weeks ago when they got that notable win, obviously. But yeah, they played well on Saturday. So you've got to think that.
Here's a stat for New South Wales. And Brett McKay put this up as well. So they scored 17 points against the Force. There was a period of about 60 minutes where they didn't get into the Force 22. So whatever they're doing, they're not doing enough to even create opportunities. So explain that team to me.
Well, first of all, let's give some credit to the Force because we've been saying, why is a team that have got the talent that they have, why are they so low down the table? And they're starting to show what they're capable of. Now, the guy who's been catching the eye to me is Ben Donaldson. And always there's that big question mark about who's number 10 for the Wallabies.
It's been the case for quite a long time. Ben Donaldson, even though he's probably seen as a veteran player now, He's playing as well as anyone in that position, and I think he's one of the reasons why. The other one, too, who's been outstanding is Peach on the wing, Dylan Peach. He is making a huge case to be included on that left wing spot for the Wallabies.
And he and obviously Zach Lomax on the other wing, who's bought... Well, he's bought a tremendous aerial game, obviously, but he's bought some, I don't know, some... Would you call it emotion or mongrel combat?
Something like that. He plays physical, doesn't he?
Indefinable thing that he's brought. Energy, enthusiasm that he's brought. He's going, come on, you guys. This is a game of footy. We're going to win it. Never mind the points table or anything like that. So they've energised this team. And the Waratahs, to me, I think one of the things is they're lacking a Michael Hooper in their midst. And now that's not...
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