As his Crusaders savour a desperately needed win over the Rebels last weekend after a nightmare run of defeat, merely getting on to the field has been a victory for flanker Ethan Blackadder.
The All Blacks loose forward played just his third game of the season during the 39-0 beatdown in Christchurch, as he finally starts to string together some consistent on-field minutes after two years plagued by health issues.
In 2022, a shoulder injury denied him a chance to build on some promising early displays on the test arena, before calf and quad issues conspired to end his Super Rugby Pacific campaign in the early stages of the season.
Such was his appeal to the international selectors, Blackadder was called into the All Blacks' World Cup squad on the strength of just a couple of NPC outings for Tasman to replace injured Emoni Narawa.
He only featured once in France, coming off the bench against Uruguay during pool play, before shoulder and thigh issues put him into recovery mode yet again.
With three straight games now under his belt, Blackadder, 29, says he's savouring every minute of finally being able to contribute consistently.
"It's great to be back," Blackadder said on Tuesday.
"I've strung three games together which has been hard the last couple of years, so just loving playing footy with my mates.
"Something special is going to happen, I feel."
The 10-test international admits his persistent niggles have been testing but believes he's starting to see the benefits of his patient approach to rehabilitation.
"It definitely is frustrating," he said. "Especially when you get five or six muscle strains in different areas. You start to question what's gone on.
"But you just go back to the process every time and that's your rehab and strength training. It's frustrating but rewarding.
"You know the start point and the end points and the end point is always playing rugby. So that makes you pretty hungry to get it right."
Saturday's big win over the embattled Melburnians was the first time Blackadder has tasted victory with the Crusaders so far this season, having returned for the back-to-back defeats against the Waratahs and Force two weeks prior.
The challenge for the team now now, Blackadder says, is to prove it was no fluke and keep their momentum going, something they couldn't manage after what, at the time, seemed like a turning point against the Chiefs.
The forgiving nature of the Super Rugby Pacific playoff format means the Crusaders, with five games remaining, are only three competition points adrift the post-season spots – and there's very belief from within that the squad – as they get increasingly healthy – are capable of defending their crown.
"We've got heaps of confidence from last week," said Blackadder. "So if we can carry that on and keep evolving and getting better then for sure [we can win the competition].
"It's just a week at a time from now. We're not going to worry about the top eight until that time comes. We're just got to worry about today, tomorrow and then ultimately Saturday."
