All Blacks veteran Sam Whitelock, who missed the 34-19 victory over the Chiefs last Saturday, will sit out another month with a broken finger while the Crusaders locking stocks are also weakened by Mitchell Dunshea’s season-ending knee injury.
Back-up hooker Brodie McAlister was another casualty of the sixth round assignment last Saturday when he injured a calf during the warm-ups, meaning Codie Taylor and Shilo Klein share that role over the next month to six weeks.
On a positive note, prop Joe Moody returns to the front row while Argentinian loose forward Pablo Matera also makes his comeback off the bench, with Cullen Grace retaining the No 8 jersey.
Head coach Scott Robertson has named an unchanged loose trio for the second clash with the winless Highlanders, while lock Zach Gallagher is poised to become the latest debutant after replacing the luckless Dunshea on the bench.
The mobile lock, who can also play on the blindside flank, also missed Canterbury’s NPC campaign after suffering a neck injury.
Whitelock had surgery last week and should be available for the Crusaders four-week Australian tour, which opens against the Waratahs in Sydney on April 30.
“It’s been a hell of a casualty ward the last few weeks,” Robertson said, who also had to contend with 65 per cent of the squad contracting Covid-19.
Although the Highlanders prop up the 12-team table after five straight defeats, the Crusaders should not be taking anything for granted after the corresponding fixture in Super Rugby Aotearoa last year.
The 33-12 defeat at Orangetheory Stadium in Christchurch was just the second time the Crusaders had lost a Super Rugby match on their home soil since Scott Robertson took over as head coach in 2017.
The match kicks off at 7.05pm.
Crusaders: Will Jordan, Sevu Reece, Leicester Fainga’anuku, David Havili, George Bridge. Richie Mo’unga, Mitchell Drummond, Cullen Grace. Tom Christie, Ethan Blackladder, Quinten Strange, Scott Barrett (capt), Fletcher Newell, Codie Taylor, Joe Moody. Reserves: Shilo Klein, George Bower, Tamaiti Williams, Zach Gallagher, Pablo Matera, Bryn Hall, Fergus Burke, Braydon Ennor.
