Blackadder has to somehow convince the Crusaders to keep their minds on the Highlanders challenge on Sat

Todd Blackadder must despise this time of the year.

The All Blacks wider training camps might be deemed a necessary evil by the New Zealand Rugby Union ahead of the June test series but Crusaders coach Blackadder must wish he could march into their Wellington headquarters, put a flame to this segment of the calendar and tell them to stop meddling with Super Rugby.

Following last weekend’s dreadful 30-25 loss to the 14-man Sharks side at AMI Stadium, Blackadder must be trying every trick he knows to force his soldiers to focus on tomorrow night’s match against the Highlanders in Dunedin.

He refused to blame the camps for his side’s capitulation to the Sharks but there’s little doubt the Crusaders played like a side that were distracted by other issues.

Given the compacted nature of the Super Rugby log, the top eight teams are only separated by nine points, Blackadder cast his mind back to the must-win scenario the Crusaders were in before they played the Lions in Johannesburg on April 6.

“It feels like we’re in a similar situation now,” Blackadder said. “The whole key to learning is you don’t need to put yourself in that position to perform.

“When you go out there and are wearing the Crusaders jersey you want to win every single moment. And that was what was important last week. We performed poorly and we really beat ourselves . . . Some of the stuff we did out there was really beyond comprehension.”

It hasn’t been an easy week for anyone involved with the Crusaders.

Once again No 8 Kieran Read has been scratched – a head cold has been blamed for his omission instead of the concussion that has plagued him over the last month – and that news was unexpectedly revealed by All Blacks coach Steve Hansen on Wednesday.

Blackadder said the decision to leave Read in Christchurch was no cover-up and was emphatic his concussion symptoms were no longer lingering.

In the past many players have been told to gobble pills and get into the action but there were fears that a lack of physical preparation – Read only began contact training yesterday – and the cold could have ruled him ineffective, even if he was in the reserves.

“Even if you put him on the bench there could be an injury in the first minute and he would have to go out there to play,” Blackadder said.

Having 10 players involved in the camp meant Blackadder couldn’t get things rolling at trainings until Wednesday.

Blackadder has swapped his whole front row, which includes the benching of All Blacks props Wyatt Crockett and Owen Franks, returned Andy Ellis to halfback, ditched centre Reynold Lee-Lo for Tom Taylor and brought back Israel Dagg at fullback.

Shifting Nemani Nadolo from the wing and into centre, where his hard-running style would prove the perfect foil to Malakai Fekitoa, was seriously considered but Blackadder was reluctant to force another positional change with that transfer.

“We did discuss that at length. It’s quite a few shuffles and changes so we just thought we would keep him there. He [Nadolo] had a quiet game last week and we would be putting him in a new position and trying to build his confidence.”

The All Blacks camps mean he will lose the majority of his starting side from Sunday through to Tuesday (barring Luke Whitelock who hasn’t been invited to Wellington) and Blackadder has to somehow convince the side to keep their minds on the Highlanders challenge.

“Back to earth is certainly where we have been this week. I’m not sure where our heads were and whether we were looking too far ahead. The reality, now, is that we can’t afford any more slip-ups. Every game is critical.”

Crusaders: Israel Dagg, Johnny McNicholl, Tom Taylor, Ryan Crotty (c), Nemani Nadolo, Colin Slade, Andy Ellis, Luke Whitelock, Richie McCaw, Jordan Taufua, Sam Whitelock, Dominic Bird, Nepo Laulala, Ben Funnell, Tim Perry. Reserves: Corey Flynn, Wyatt Crockett, Owen Franks, Jimmy Tupou, George Whitelock, Willi Heinz, Adam Whitelock, Nafi Tuitavake.

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