Robertson brushes off rumours of Crusaders demise

MELBOURNE : Canterbury Crusaders coach Scott Robertson has paid no attention to the epitaphs written for his Super Rugby side and expects the 12-times champions will return to their dominant ways.

The Crusaders suffered a stunning defeat at the rebuilding New South Wales Waratahs last week, triggering headlines in New Zealand that their golden era is over.

Several timezones away in Perth, preparing his team for Western Force on Saturday, Robertson said he was oblivious to the chatter back home.

"It’s the first I’ve heard of it ... it’s probably quite good to be away,” he told New Zealand media.

The loss to the Waratahs was the Crusaders' third this season and the first time they have had three defeats in a single campaign under Robertson, who took over as head coach in 2017 and has guided them to five championships in five seasons.

Usually top of the table, the Crusaders are third behind the leading Auckland Blues and Canberra-based ACT Brumbies.

Robertson warned against placing too much importance on statistics while conceding his team needed to improve.

"The longer you go on, the stats change," he said.

"You can compare over the last five years, but there is a considerable amount of change, players and in the group, and the players we've had out there.

"So we've just got to make sure we focus on them and get them right.

"We're certainly not at peak form. We've got a few things we need to address to get right, and we believe we will be where we need to be."

The Crusaders were reduced to 13 men at one stage against the Waratahs and Robertson will hope for more discipline from his players at Perth Oval.

Lock Hamish Dalzell became their third player to be red carded this season with a high tackle on Michael Hooper, and joined Scott