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Rob Houwing, Sport24 chief writer
Cape Town – A South African sports science expert isn’t discounting the possibility that the globe-trotting Crusaders can conquer the travel factor once more to win the Super Rugby title on Saturday.
“The short answer is that they can (beat the Reds in the Brisbane final),” Dr Ross Tucker told Sport24 on Thursday.
“They’re an exceptional team, and have always been good away from home – one of the few who have an overall winning record away and overseas.”
“But it’s definitely a handicap: being away from home is worth a few points (against the team in question) and being overseas is worth a few more – 10 in total, I think.”
Richie McCaw’s side were considered underdogs by many South African critics ahead of their semi-final against the Stormers at Newlands last weekend, primarily on the grounds of their extra required match against the Sharks in the finals series at Nelson and then long-haul flight to Cape Town.
Yet they looked fresh as the proverbial daisies as they overpowered the Capetonians by 19 points in a surprisingly one-sided affair.
And that after spending far more time on the road than any other franchise this season, given the Christchurch earthquake disaster that damaged their home base of AMI Stadium ahead of the extended 2011 programme.
Dr Tucker reckons that, ironically, the fact that they had to fly to South Africa for only five days aids them a little for the showpiece.
“It means they probably didn’t ever fully adapt to our time zone and thus have less to adapt to in Australia.”
Nevertheless, the Crusaders have now had to make the more disruptive “west to east” journey -- and Dr Tucker correctly predicted ahead of their own trip to Nelson recently that the Sharks would struggle to fend off the jet lag.
They lost the effective quarter-final 36-8.
Cape Town – A South African sports science expert isn’t discounting the possibility that the globe-trotting Crusaders can conquer the travel factor once more to win the Super Rugby title on Saturday.
“The short answer is that they can (beat the Reds in the Brisbane final),” Dr Ross Tucker told Sport24 on Thursday.
“They’re an exceptional team, and have always been good away from home – one of the few who have an overall winning record away and overseas.”
“But it’s definitely a handicap: being away from home is worth a few points (against the team in question) and being overseas is worth a few more – 10 in total, I think.”
Richie McCaw’s side were considered underdogs by many South African critics ahead of their semi-final against the Stormers at Newlands last weekend, primarily on the grounds of their extra required match against the Sharks in the finals series at Nelson and then long-haul flight to Cape Town.
Yet they looked fresh as the proverbial daisies as they overpowered the Capetonians by 19 points in a surprisingly one-sided affair.
And that after spending far more time on the road than any other franchise this season, given the Christchurch earthquake disaster that damaged their home base of AMI Stadium ahead of the extended 2011 programme.
Dr Tucker reckons that, ironically, the fact that they had to fly to South Africa for only five days aids them a little for the showpiece.
“It means they probably didn’t ever fully adapt to our time zone and thus have less to adapt to in Australia.”
Nevertheless, the Crusaders have now had to make the more disruptive “west to east” journey -- and Dr Tucker correctly predicted ahead of their own trip to Nelson recently that the Sharks would struggle to fend off the jet lag.
They lost the effective quarter-final 36-8.
