RugbyU: Unbeaten Crusaders To Soldier On Without Whitelock

WELLINGTON, May 4, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 04th May, 2017 ) - The front-running Canterbury Crusaders have decided against appealing captain Sam Whitelock's Super Rugby suspension and will take on the Northern Bulls on Saturday without two senior All Blacks.

In addition to losing Whitelock, who copped a two-week ban for striking an opponent during last week's 48-21 win over the Central Cheetahs, the Crusaders will also be without All Blacks' captain Kieran Read, who broke a thumb in the same match.

The loss of the veteran internationals for round 11 will impact on the Crusaders' pack against the renowned power of the Bulls' forwards. With the Crusaders the only unbeaten side in the competition after 10 rounds, coach Scott Robertson said after Whitelock's suspension that they were considering an appeal.

However, a team spokesman confirmed to AFP on Thursday they had decided to accept the judiciary's ruling and Matt Todd would take over the leadership.

The Bulls have not enjoyed the best of seasons, with only three wins so far, but two of them have been in their last two games.

They also have homeground advantage, having beaten the Crusaders for the last five times they met in Pretoria dating back to 2008, and coach Nollis Marais said the team was entering this contest with a lot of self-belief.

"The last two wins confirmed that we can indeed compete against anyone," Marais said. "We have a massive hurdle to overcome on Saturday though, as the Crusaders have been setting a number of benchmarks to other teams this year.

"They remain a classy side and despite not having Sam Whitelock and Kieran Read available for this match, remains one of the top teams in the competition." Poised to hit the top spot should the Crusaders fall are the Golden Lions, the Africa 2 conference leaders, who are in Melbourne to play the struggling Rebels.