Sevu Reece to Start at Centre in Crusaders’ Clash with Fijian Drua
In a surprising move ahead of Saturday’s Super Rugby Pacific showdown against the Fijian Drua in Suva, Crusaders head coach Rob Penney has named Sevu Reece at outside centre, marking the first time the All Blacks wing will play in this position for the team. This is just one of several changes to the Crusaders’ lineup after their unexpected loss to Moana Pasifika in Christchurch last week.
Reece will wear the No. 13 jersey for the first time in his Super Rugby career, with Dallas McLeod shifting to inside centre. Taha Kemara also comes in as the starting fly-half, replacing Wallabies star James O’Connor. Kemara will pair up with Noah Hotham in the half-back positions, while the back three sees All Blacks full-back Will Jordan joined by Chay Fihaki and Macca Springer on the wings.
In the forwards, there are further changes with Codie Taylor coming in at hooker for Ioane Moananu, and Taylor will also take on the captaincy duties in place of regular skipper David Havili. George Bower and Seb Calder will join Taylor in the front row, while in the second row, Antonio Shalfoon and Tahlor Cahill replace Jamie Hannah and All Blacks captain Scott Barrett, who is being rested.
The back row sees Christian Lio-Willie start at number eight in place of Fletcher Anderson, with Tom Christie and Corey Kellow taking over from Ethan Blackadder and Cullen Grace as the starting flankers.
Reece’s selection at outside centre is the standout change, and the experienced All Blacks winger is thrilled about the opportunity. “I’m so excited,” Reece said. “Before I played on the wing, I was playing centre, and it wasn’t until I moved down here that I moved to the wing. It’s always been a goal of mine to play centre at this level – to test myself against the best of the best and getting that opportunity this week in front of my family back in Fiji, what a place to play centre.”
Crusaders captain Codie Taylor acknowledged the challenge posed by the Fijian Drua, who narrowly defeated the Crusaders 25-24 in Lautoka in 2023. “We need the mindset that we have to go to work over there – the reality is it’s going to hurt, but the team that stays the most connected and nails the basics will win the game,” Taylor said.
Penney, meanwhile, is eager for his team to bounce back after their shock loss to Moana Pasifika. “It was awful last week, but we’ve addressed our performance, the coaching staff and the leaders have done a great job of setting the tone for the week,” he said. “The boys are going to have to grit their teeth and bear it and do what needs to be done for their teammates this weekend.”
The Crusaders will look to return to winning ways as they take on the Fijian Drua at HFC Bank Stadium on Saturday, April 5, with kick-off set for 16:35 local time (05:35 BST, 04:35 GMT).
Crusaders Team to Face Fijian Drua: 15. Will Jordan
14. Chay Fihaki
13. Sevu Reece
12. Dallas McLeod
11. Macca Springer
10. Taha Kemara
9. Noah Hotham
8. Christian Lio-Willie
7. Tom Christie
6. Corey Kellow
5. Antonio Shalfoon
4. Tahlor Cahill
3. Seb Calder
2. Codie Taylor (c)
- George Bower
Replacements:
16. Ioane Moananu
17. Kershawl Sykes-Martin
18. Fletcher Newell
19. Quinten Strange
20. Ethan Blackadder
21. Mitch Drummond
22. James O’Connor
23. Levi Aumua
Match Details:
Date: Saturday, April 5
Venue: HFC Bank Stadium, Suva
Kick-off: 16:35 local (05:35 BST, 04:35 GMT)
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: James Doleman (New Zealand), Jackson Henshaw (New Zealand)
TMO: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)