Crusaders coach Scott Robertson has heaped praise on first-five Richie Mo'unga for putting the off-field drama of the past week behind him with an outstanding performance against the Blues.
The Crusaders extended their winning run over the Blues to 10 games in a 19-11 win, with birthday-boy Mo'unga scoring 14 points with four penalty goals and a conversion at Christchurch Stadium.
The result was a nice way for the Crusaders to put a tough week behind them, which has been filled of controversy after a number of their players - including Mo'unga - were allegedly involved in incidents in Cape Town during the tour of South Africa.
The alleged incidents are currently being investigated by the Crusaders and New Zealand Rugby.
"Richie was exceptions," said Robertson. "I'm really pleased for him, he had some pretty amazing moments.
"He's a special player, it just shows how professional he is how he can clear his head with a lot of clutter that's been around him during the week.
"We're just looking forward to singing our team song. Richie wrote it for us. So it's pretty special we get to stand along beside him."
The Crusaders now travel to Suva in Fiji, where they face the Chiefs in their next match on Saturday.
Robertson said the next few days will be key due to the high temperature and humidity in the Pacific Islands.
"Fiji is totally different to playing here. Last time we played there it was hot... I know Fiji is a hot place, it was seriously hot, oh my goodness.
"I remember looking at Matt Todd and he was dizzy after 30 minutes. The humidity was high so we have to be smart this week.
"Hopefully we can get the job done, and then play the Rebels and head into the bye with plenty of momentum."
The Crusaders moved to 53 points in the Super Rugby standings with the victory, 13 ahead of the second-placed Hurricanes, who have a bye this week.
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