Crusaders coach Scott Robertson expects to be without star loose forward Ethan Blackadder for a couple of weeks, after he picked up a calf injury in their Super Rugby Pacific win over the Brumbies.
Blackadder hobbled off shortly before halftime, but was the only Crusader to come up short in their Super Rugby Pacific triumph at Christchurch.
Nevertheless, it's a blow for the reigning champions, and the experienced back-rower, having only just returned from a lengthy layoff with a shoulder injury.
Robertson had to be reminded of bad news, having thought his team had finally gotten through a fixture without any niggles, but trusts their depth to make up for it.
"It's a great performance," he told Sky Sport post-match. "You've got two bonus points, didn't get any injuries, obviously [four] tries and that's the first game this year we haven't had anyone [injured].
"All the subs are just because of substitutions [except] Ethan Blackadder…he might be a couple of weeks.
"We've had a few six-day turnarounds, so you just trust them all, your pre-season, and you've just got to make sure you trust them and everyone just sets them up and have a good week"
Despite the 35-17 victory, the Crusaders struggled for possession and territory for the early parts of the clash at Orangetheory Stadium.
Robertson lamented his side's unforced errors, but was pleased with their rush defence, which disrupted several promising Brumbies' attacks.
"We didn't complete a lot of our opportunities, a lot of pressure, a lot of pressure, we probably overplayed a bit in the middle part of the field and gave them the ball back," he said.
"We held the ball for six, seven, eight phases…knock on, side clean, penalty [and then] back in our own half. We could've been a lot better.
"We played really high on defence and turned them in a lot, it was a great, good effort."
The previously unbeaten Brumbies struggled to get their go-to set-piece marching, with the Crusaders getting the better at the scrum and rolling mauls.
All Blacks prop Joe Moody was instrumental in the win, and credits their success to all the hard work they do behind the scenes.
"Yeah, scrum time it was good to get a little bit of go-forward tonight," he told Sky Sport post-match. "We've been training that for the last few weeks, trying to square things up and get our scrum going.
"When we get our platform good, it gives us an awesome platform for the backs to just do their thing.
"For the last four or five years, it's been a really big focus, defending that maul, we pride ourselves on our line and maul defence, so just happy that worked out well too."
