The defending champions will play a fourth straight game without their best player when they encounter the Lions in Hamilton tonight (SATURDAY) and, judging by the numbers, Cruden's return can't come soon enough.
With a broken thumb likely to keep him from the next two games, the defending champions' previous three fixtures shorn of their co-captain only re-emphasised his value.
With Cruden, the Chiefs are among the most dynamic teams in Super Rugby. Last season's leading scorers as he started every match, they were averaging 27.8 points and 3.5 tries in six games this campaign before the first five-eighth was injured.
Without Cruden, the Chiefs have struggled for both direction and penetration. Scoring is down seven points and tries have dropped to four across three games, but the scale of the attack's slump is even clearer the deeper you delve.
The champs have looked off colour in possession the last three weeks and the statistics support that assertion. As a team, they are averaging 290 metres fewer without Cruden, while passes (-22), offloads (minus seven) and clean breaks (minus five) are all significantly down on season averages.
Although one man hardly makes a backline, the Chiefs are plainly missing Cruden's guiding hand, his ability to take the ball to the line and slip a teammate into space.
Gareth Anscombe has shown his proficiency in the position but the pair's individual statistics reflect the concrete contributions the regular starter brings - not to mention the ineffable qualities, the je ne sais quoi, the two-time champion has in his locker.
Anscombe has kept the Chiefs competitive courtesy of an accurate boot, kicking at a 81.3 per cent success rate to Cruden's 71.9, but his numbers around the park elucidate the disparity between players.
Cruden holds a clear advantage in carries, metres, offloads and passes (see panel). While much of this can be explained by an altered gameplan with Anscombe at pivot, the fact the usually-fluent Chiefs have changed their strategy hints at why the attack has struggled.
"[Anscombe] hasn't played any quality time at 10 in two years," said assistance coach Andrew Strawbridge. "He missed the whole of the ITM Cup; when he was on the verge of playing 10 for us last year he broke his foot. So he's just remembering and building his confidence.
"We've gone back to the basics to help with the decision-making, not just for Gareth but for all our decision makers around eight, nine, 10 and 12. Those guys are getting more confident as well, so hopefully Gareth isn't out there making decisions on his own - hopefully it's a team and he's making the calls on the run that matter."
Despite their poor recent record, the Chiefs will be well-placed heading into their second bye if they can dispatch the Lions tonight and claim a derby with the Blues the following weekend. Cruden should be in line to return following the brief break but Strawbridge was careful about over-accentuating the No 10 narrative.
"I don't think the issues are around a Gareth vs Aaron dynamic. We got ourselves in all sorts of trouble in South Africa [with Cruden] and ground our way out of it. It was no different against the Crusaders when Gareth had to go to 10. We got into a hole and we nearly ground our way out of it.
"I see very little difference - it was about a team struggling a little bit with their game, not a 10."
- By Kris Shannon of APNZ
