Brown said there was plenty to like from his side in the opening 40 minutes.
“We had good speed, we were physical, created a lot of opportunities and finished well” Brown said.
“I was really happy with what those boys delivered.
Second half — some guys who had not played a lot of Super Rugby, Mitre 10 Cup players and they”ll learn a lot from that.
“ That sort of shows we lack bit of depth.”
He said halfback Folau Fakatava sparked the team in the first half.
There was one goal line drop-out in game and it was the first phase of many which led to a Highlanders try.
He said the new laws may lead to shifts in momentum throughout the game.
Lock Josh Dickson left the field with a head knock while fellow lock Bryn Evans damaged some rib cartilage.
Crusaders coach Scott Robertson said the first 20 minutes was rough but the side rallied well.
He said the side had 57 players at training last week but things would ramp up this week.
The new drop-out rule looked like it will have a big impact on the game, opening up another 20m on the field.
