Injuries and mistakes catch up with sloppy Crusaders as Rob Penney era ends with crushing semifinal exit
Monday, 15 June 2026
As the Rob Penney coaching era ended with a whimper, the Crusaders head into the off-season with much to ponder, having fallen short of expectations.
The Crusaders have set the bar so high, any time they don’t lift the silverware come season’s end, the campaign is deemed a failure.
A red-hot finish to round play, and emphatic qualifying final win over the bumbling Blues, sparked optimism the Crusaders might again prove Chiefs’ playoff tormentors.
Any hope of making another final and defending their title disappeared early with the Chiefs building a stunning 28-0 lead after 24 minutes. By halftime, the Crusaders were in a 42-5 hole and even the most optimistic red-and-black diehard realised they were cooked.
“I don’t think we felt off. It was just the Chiefs brought an intensity that we couldn’t handle in that first 15 minutes,” Crusaders captain David Havili lamented.
“They put points on us early and I think that performance from them was building for a few years now.”
The Crusaders were dismantled at scrum time by a fired up Chiefs outfit and beaten up at the breakdown. The Chiefs’ dangerous backline ran rampant with Damian McKenzie, who did not feature in the two round losses to the Crusaders, orchestrating their attack with aplomb.
Their forgettable night was summed up by powerhouse loose forward Leicester Fainga'anuku, one of their best this season, leaving the game with a high ankle sprain prior to halftime.
To think the Crusaders outgained the Chiefs by nearly 100m on the night (553 v 454), but failed to seize their chances in the 22.
Semifinal defeat brings down the curtain on the Penney coaching era with the former Canterbury loose forward finishing with a 27 win-20 loss record over three seasons, an underwhelming 57% winning record by the Crusaders’ lofty standards. Scott Hansen, an inaugural Crusader and former All Blacks assistant coach, will take over in 2027 on a three-year deal.
After a dire first season in charge in 2024 where the Crusaders finished ninth with a 4-10 record, some in the fan base wanted Penney gone.
To his credit, he bounced back from that adversity to lead the team to the title the following season, knocking over the Chiefs in the decider at Apollo Projects Stadium.
The Crusaders had patches of brilliance in 2026, but when they were off the mark, they were a tough watch. Their 50-24 home shellacking by the Brumbies in round two was a horror show, while back-to-back losses in Australia to the Reds and Force in April ultimately cost them a top two finish.
Add in a sloppy 25-23 first-up loss to the Highlanders in Dunedin, a game the Crusaders were not at their best in, but still should have won late in the contest.
Win two or three of those and the Crusaders season might have finished very differently.
“It’s been an amazing experience. A wonderful group of men to work with. Fantastic staff, both in the front line coaching-wise, and through the medical into the performance. Also the administration,” Penney reflected.
“It’s an amazing experience and I’ll look back on this experience very, very fondly.”
All sides are impacted by injuries, but season-ending Super Rugby Pacific injuries to talismanic fullback Will Jordan (calf), and prop Tamaiti Williams (discitis) were a dagger blow, combined with All Blacks lock Scott Barrett (back surgery) not playing a game all season. Hooker George Bell (calf), a standout when he was on the park, was also missed late in the season.
Loose forward Cullen Grace (knee) was never spotted in a game all season either.
With the Crusaders’ season officially over it means the end of the road for wing Sevu Reece, who heads to French side Perpignan as the leading try-scorer in Super Rugby history (73 tries). Midfielders Dallas McLeod and Braydon Ennor, and halfback Louie Chapman, are others who are leaving.
Veteran outside back Johnny McNicholl and Grace could also potentially have played their final games for the Crusaders, it is understood.
Penney, an avid fisherman, joked his first move post-coaching would be casting a line and some deserved time away from the game.
“Obviously it started tough [in season one], but he’s the glue for our franchise. He steadied the ship when we needed him,” Havili said of his departing coach.
“The best thing about him is he’s a great man. A very good leader and it’s been an absolute pleasure working with Pens. I can’t speak highly enough of him.”