A dejected Nemani Nadolo (left) and Andy Ellis reflect on the Crusaders' 35-10 loss to the Hurricanes in Wellington on Saturday night.

There's not much point trying to put a positive spin on Nemani Nadolo's absence from the Super Rugby quarterfinal against the Lions.

Left wing Nadolo won't join his Crusaders team-mates when they leave New Zealand for Johannesburg on Tuesday morning, a result of him pulling a hamstring during the 35-10 loss to the Hurricanes at AMI Stadium on Saturday night.

Granted, he has been quiet since the competition recommenced following the June tests but if you are going into a sudden-death fixture, on what is expected to be a hard track at Ellis Park, you would prefer to have someone with Nadolo's reputation lurking on the end of your backline.

There is also no certainty Nadolo would be fit to play a semi if the Crusaders return from the Republic with a victory.

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The news in regards to experienced halfback Andy Ellis is brighter.

Ellis was a late scratching from the Hurricanes fixture because he tweaked a calf muscle in the warmup, but coach Todd Blackadder said concerns he would be left behind in Christchurch have been allayed.

"We will probably take him with us and will just have to manage him to see how he looks during the week," Blackadder said. "There's a good possiblity he will be ready to go."

Right wing Johnny McNicholl is also expected to travel, despite having to leave the field with a dislocated finger.

Lock Sam Whitelock, who withdrew just minutes prior to kickoff against the Hurricanes because of illness, will travel - along with several other men who battled flu during the week.

"It was quite disruptive because we had players coming in and out during the week, but it was just one of those things," Blackadder said in reference to the illness that ripped through his squad.

However, loosehead prop Joe Moody, who hasn't played since June 1 because of a neck complaint, won't be considered.

From the moment they started playing the Hurricanes at AMI Stadium, to when the Jaguares upset the Lions in Buenos Aires on Sunday morning, the Crusaders endured 18 hours of uncertainty.

If the Lions, who controversially left their frontline players at home, had beaten the Jaguares the Crusaders would have only had to spend 45 minutes on a flight from Christchurch to Wellington for a game against the Hurricanes.

Instead they must fly to Auckland on Monday, board an early flight to Sydney the following morning and then transfer to catch a flight to Jo'burg which takes about 12 hours.

The time difference means they will arrive on Tuesday local time, giving three full days to shake the jetlag, have one decent training and settle on a game plan to clobber a team that finished second overall in the regular season.

Remaining in New Zealand would have enabled the players to spend the week in their own beds and train in familiar surrounds. Instead they will be based at the Monte Cassino complex in Jo'burg, where they often stay during their tours to the Republic.

Given they beat the Lions 43-37 at Ellis Park earlier in the season, the Crusaders should be optimistic about their chances if they can assert themselves in the set pieces and rub out the handling errors that resulted in so much stress against the Hurricanes.

It was a major concern how much the Hurricanes were able to use their rushing defence to suffocate the Crusaders backline.

"We prepared for that all week, but we just didn't execute well," Blackadder noted. "Whether they were onside was another question, but we just didn't handle the pressure. That will be a key thing we will take out of it."



