Super Rugby team of the week: Crusaders lock Jamie Hannah puts heat on All Blacks incumbents
Tuesday, 26 May 2026
ANALYSIS: Jamie Hannah was the best lock on the field in Christchurch on Friday.
The 23-year-old threw himself at the Chiefs defensive line in the final quarter with no apparent concern for his body, and made 19 tackles across the 80 minutes.
Hannah is everything that Dave Rennie has said he is looking for, beating All Blacks Josh Lord and Tupou Vaa’i for work rate in a performance that was classic Crusaders.
No lineout has it easy against the Chiefs because Vaa’i is one of the best in his craft at reading opposition ball.
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But Hannah must have smashed into close to a 1000 rucks as the Crusaders did a good job of recycling possession when they went up the middle - they edged the possession battle 51% to 49% and spent 64% of the game in Chiefs territory.
Hannah resembled a juvenile giraffe breaking into a sprint when he scored his try, but the young Canterbury lock is as tough as they come.
With Scott Barrett and Fabian Holland still under injury clouds, Hannah has to be in the reckoning for an All Blacks call-up in July.
If he doesn’t make that, he would be near-certainty for the larger squad that travels to South Africa later this year.
He grabs a locking spot in The Post’s team of the week.
15 Josh Moorby (Hurricanes): Ran for well over 100 metres in a standout attacking performance against the Highlanders.
14 Johnny McNicholl (Crusaders): Game-changing 34 minutes off the bench with two tries. If Will Jordan’s calf injury doesn’t come right, McNicholl has a huge role to play in coming weeks.
13 Bailyn Sullivan (Hurricanes): Powerful midfielder is good enough to start every week in Super Rugby. Beat four defenders and made 60 metres against the Highlanders.
12 David Havili (Crusaders): His massive 50-22 was the defining moment of the Chiefs match and he backed it up with the matchwinning try.
11 Sevu Reece (Crusaders): Suddenly looked five yards faster in easily his best performance of the season. Much more north-south running rather than east-west.
10 Ruben Love (Hurricanes): Attacks space so well with his acceleration and is looking like the All Blacks’ answer to Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
9 Ereatara Enari (Hurricanes): Showed great strength and determination to smash over Highlanders flanker Sean Withy for his try.
8 Christian Lio-Willie (Crusaders): A tight call between Lio-Willie and Wallace Sititi, but the long-striding Crusader broke a few more tackles.
7 Leicester Fainga’anuku (Crusaders): Can’t be kept out of the game at the moment and showed great awareness to set up Havili’s matchwinner with an offload.
6 Samipeni Finau (Chiefs): Dave Rennie’s demand for more repeat efforts has put a rocket up wannabe All Blacks, and Finau showed plenty of industry in Christchurch.
5 Jamie Hannah (Crusaders): So much for the new stadium in Christchurch hurting the Crusaders - it actually suits athletic forwards such as Hannah and Dom Gardiner.
4 Tupou Vaa’i (Chiefs): Few play the game of lineout chess better than the All Blacks lock, and he can get off the ground well even without a lifter.
3 Angus Ta’avao (Highlanders): Literally scrummaged Hurricanes loosehead Pouri Rakete-Stones off the park as the southerners went into Springboks mode at scrum time.
2 Codie Taylor (Crusaders): Huge work rate, and just keep poking through half gaps in the Chiefs defence with that trademark footwork at the line.
1 Ethan de Groot (Highlanders): Yet another powerful showing at the set-piece from the All Black.