The Crusaders' 35-20 win over the Waratahs at their new One NZ Stadium produced the most intriguing selection story of Super Rugby's Super Round: Leicester Fainga'anuku starting at flank — reportedly the first back ever named there in Super Rugby history. The piece argues Penney's gamble paid off convincingly, with Fainga'anuku growing into the role across 80 minutes: 16 carries, 39 metres gained, nine tackles, two offloads, and a try. The comparison drawn to Esterhuizen's hybrid role under Rassie is deliberate — the takeaway being that Dave Rennie now has a similarly versatile weapon available if he chooses to use it.
Beyond the Fainga'anuku experiment, the analysis highlights total Crusaders forward dominance — scrum, lineout, and maul — as the platform for everything else. The Waratahs, by contrast, were undone by cynical ill-discipline: 13 penalties conceded, two sin bins, and a 14-point swing during Moananu's time in the bin that effectively ended the contest. The piece also flags Sid Harvey as a genuine Wallabies contender despite the result, while Amatosero's billing as a Skelton successor took a hit after a poor outing. Worth reading in full for the granular forward analysis and the All Blacks/Wallabies selection implications drawn from each performance.