Crusaders (rugby union)

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"Canterbury Crusaders" redirects here. For the speedway

team, see Canterbury Crusaders (speedway).
For the Welsh rugby league team, see Crusaders Rugby
League.

The Crusaders (Māori: Whatumoana;[1] formerly

Canterbury Crusaders) are a New Zealand
professional rugby union team based in
Christchurch, who compete in the Super Rugby
competition. They are the most successful team
in the competition's history and have won a total
of 13 titles (1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2006,
2008, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2025)
as well as two regionalised Super Rugby titles in
2020 and 2021.

Crusaders

Union New Zealand Rugby

Union

Founded 1996; 30 years ago

Location Christchurch, New

Zealand

Region Buller
Canterbury
Mid-Canterbury
South Canterbury
Tasman
West Coast

Ground(s) Apollo Projects Stadium

(Capacity: 18,600)
One New Zealand
Stadium (Capacity:
30,000)

Coach Rob Penney

Captain David Havili

Most caps Wyatt Crockett (202)

Top scorer Dan Carter (1,708)

Most tries Sevu Reece (66)

League Super Rugby Pacific

2025 2nd overall

Playoffs: Champions

1st kit 2nd kit

Official website

[Link]

Formed in 1996 to represent the upper South

Island of New Zealand in the Super 12, the
Crusaders represent the Buller, Canterbury, Mid-
Canterbury, South Canterbury, Tasman and West
Coast provincial Rugby Unions. Their main home
ground since 2012 is Rugby League Park (known
for sponsorship reasons as Apollo Projects
Stadium).[2] They formerly played out of Jade
Stadium prior to it being damaged beyond repair
in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake.[3][4]

The Crusaders struggled in the first season of the

Super 12, 1996, finishing last. Their performance
improved in 1997 and the team finished sixth (out
of twelve teams). The team went on to win three
titles from 1998 to 2000 despite each final being
played away from home. They again won the
competition in 2002 after going through the
season unbeaten. In the following two seasons,
they again reached the final, although they were
beaten on both occasions. In 2005, it was the last
season of the Super 12 before its expansion. After
finishing top of the table in that season, the
Crusaders went on to host the final in which they
defeated the Waratahs (35–25). As a result of
winning their fifth Super 12 title, the Crusaders
were given the trophy to keep. In 2006, the
Crusaders hosted the Hurricanes in the inaugural
Super 14 final and won (19–12). In 2008, the
Crusaders hosted the final at AMI Stadium against
the Waratahs, and won the match (20–12) to
claim their seventh title. Their eighth
championship came in the 2017 final when they
defeated the Lions (25–17) in Johannesburg. The
Crusaders hosted the Lions in the 2018 final and
won (37–18), securing their ninth title. The
Crusaders won their tenth Super Rugby title at
home against the Jaguares (19–3) in the 2019
final. The Crusaders won their 11th and 12th title in
both editions of Super Rugby Aotearoa in 2020
and 2021. They won their 11th full title (13th
overall) by winning the inaugural Super Rugby
Pacific final in 2022 against the Blues (21–7) at
Eden Park in Auckland. The Crusaders won their
12th full Super Rugby title (14th overall) after
beating the Chiefs (25–20) in the 2023 final in
Hamilton. The Crusaders won their 13th full title
(15th overall) after beating the Chiefs (16–12) in
the 2025 final in Christchurch.

The Crusaders have been led by only three CEOs

throughout their 29-year history; former New
Zealand Rugby CEO Steve Tew,[5] Hamish
Riach[6] and incumbent Colin Mansbridge.[7]

History

Beginnings: 1996–1997
The Crusaders franchise was created as one of
five New Zealand teams in the Super 12. Originally
named the Canterbury Crusaders, the Crusaders'
franchise area encompassed the upper South
Island of New Zealand (see Super Rugby
franchise areas), and was formed from the Buller,
Canterbury, Marlborough, Mid-Canterbury, Nelson
Bays, South Canterbury, and West Coast rugby
unions.[8][a] The original Crusaders team of 1996
was captained by All Blacks prop Richard Loe and
coached by Vance Stewart.[9] The Crusaders
struggled in the inaugural season and finished
bottom of the table with only two wins.[10] Their
eight losses included a 49–18 loss to the Blues
and a 52–16 loss to the Queensland Reds.[11] And
the First ever tour was a pre-visit to South Africa
prior start of Super 12.[12]

The following season saw a change in captain and

coach, with Todd Blackadder succeeding Loe as
captain and Wayne Smith taking over as coach.[9]
With five wins, the team finished the round-robin
stage in sixth place.[13] The improvement was
particularly illustrated by the Crusaders' 29–28
loss to the defending champions, the Blues, which
contrasted with their 49–18 loss the previous
season. (The Blues also went on to win the 1997
title).[14] During this loss, Leon MacDonald was
taken out with a shoulder charge by Robin Brooke.
While the Crusaders attempted to get MacDonald
back on the field, the Blues scored two tries,
including one by Brooke, who was later
suspended for two weeks for the shoulder charge.
[14]
In their last game of 1997, the Crusaders beat
the Queensland Reds 48–3 at Lancaster Park.[13]

Hat trick: 1998–2000

The Crusaders won their first title in 1998, despite
starting the season with three losses in their first
four games. They finished the round-robin by
winning their last seven games, culminating in a
last-round win over the Coastal Sharks (now the
Sharks) that gave them second place in the
round-robin phase of the competition.[15] Their
second-placing allowed them to host their semi-
final at Lancaster Park, where they won the match
36–32 against the Coastal Sharks.[16]

In the final at Eden Park, the Crusaders faced the

Blues, who were heavy favourites. According to
Crusaders' hooker Mark Hammett, "If we'd been
polled in that week, and had to give an honest
answer, most of the boys, deep down, would
probably have thought that the Blues would beat
us."[17] The Crusaders were ahead 3–0 at half
time, but the Blues scored first after half time to
take a 10–3 lead after 53 minutes.[18] After
Crusader Norm Maxwell scored a try, the game
was tied 10 all. Then, after a penalty each, the two
teams were tied 13 all with one minute of
regulation time remaining.[19] At that moment,
Andrew Mehrtens chipped the ball for James Kerr
to run onto and score, giving the Crusaders a 20–
13 win after the try was converted.[20] The ten
points scored by Andrew Mehrtens in the final
contributed to his total of 206 points for the
season − a record for the Super 12.[21] Upon the
Crusaders' return to Christchurch, they were
given a parade through the city that drew 100,000
people.[19]

We're a regional selection... and it's

important to remember that, besides
Canterbury, we also represent Nelson
Bays, Marlborough, Buller, West Coast,
Mid-Canterbury and South Canterbury

—Todd Blackadder, Crusaders captain, 1998

Super 12 victory speech[22]

The 1999 season was equally successful for the

Crusaders despite struggling to make the play-
offs in fourth place after winning their last four
round-robin matches.[23][24] They defeated the
favoured Queensland Reds (who had finished top
in the round-robin) in their semi-final to advance
to the final against the Otago Highlanders (since
renamed the Highlanders).[24] The all-South
Island final in Dunedin was promoted as "the party
at Tony Brown's house" after Highlanders first
five-eighths Tony Brown.[23] Again playing away
from home, the Crusaders won 24–19. The
decisive try of the match was scored by
Crusaders winger Afato So'oalo when he chipped
the ball, then out-sprinted All Blacks winger Jeff
Wilson to collect the ball and score.[25][26]

Following the All Blacks' semi-final loss in the

1999 Rugby World Cup, Wayne Smith succeeded
John Hart as All Blacks coach.[27] Crusaders
manager Robbie Deans replaced Smith as
Crusaders coach. In Deans' first year in charge,
the Crusaders won their third title in a row − a feat
that would be repeated in the 2017-2018-2019
seasons.[9] The Crusaders finished second in the
round-robin, earning them the right to host a
semi-final in which they faced the Highlanders at
Jade Stadium.[28][29] Two tries in the final 20
minutes by Marika Vunibaka helped the Crusaders
to a 37–15 win.[30] The 2000 Super 12 Final was
played against the Brumbies in Canberra,
Australia, where the weather for the final was icy,
with sleet and snow.[31] The game was low-
scoring, with only one try each. Four penalties by
Mehrtens gave the Crusaders a 12–6 half time
lead. Following a Brumbies penalty four minutes
from time, the Brumbies led 19–17.[31] However,
the Crusaders were awarded a penalty from the
resulting kick-off, and after Mehrtens converted
the penalty, the Crusaders went on to win the
game 20–19.[32]

Development of a legacy: 2001–2005

Crusaders scrum against the Brumbies

in May 2006

After winning three consecutive Super 12 titles,

the Crusaders finished tenth in 2001 – their worst
finish since 1996. The season was the last for
captain Todd Blackadder before he left to play for
Edinburgh in Scotland.[33][b]

The Crusaders bounced back dramatically in

2002 when they went through the Super 12
season unbeaten, achieving their fourth title.
Although the Crusaders won all eleven of their
round-robin matches, six of them were won by a
margin of seven points or less.[c][34] Their eleven
round-robin games also included a record 96–19
win over the Waratahs in the final match of the
round-robin stage, which was especially
noteworthy given that both teams finished at the
top of the table.

The Crusaders met the Highlanders in their 2002

semi-final, which they eventually won 34–23 after
being ahead 18–6 at half time. The following
week, they faced the Brumbies in the first final to
be hosted at Jade Stadium. The Brumbies trailed
11–3 after the first half, having had only 30 per
cent possession.[35] Although the Brumbies
closed the gap to 14–13 with eight minutes to go,
the Crusaders held on and steadied to win 31–13
with a last-minute try to Caleb Ralph.[35][36] The
season was their first under the captaincy of
Reuben Thorne, who went on to captain the All
Blacks until the end of the 2003 Rugby World
Cup.

The Crusaders' winning run finally came to an end

when they were beaten 39–5 by the Blues in the
third round of the 2003 Super 12 season.[37]
Although their 15-match unbeaten streak had
ended, Richie McCaw said of the loss, "...in some
ways it was almost a relief. We'd finally been
beaten, the run was over, so people could stop
talking about it and we could get on with playing it
week by week."[38] The Crusaders recovered to
finish second on the table with eight wins.[39]
They hosted a semi-final against the Hurricanes,
who were coached by Colin Cooper, a former
assistant coach for the Crusaders. Despite this
inside knowledge of the team by the Wellington
coach, the Crusaders won the match 39–16.[39] In
the final, the Crusaders met the Blues, another
team coached by a former Crusaders assistant
coach, Peter Sloane. Hooker Mark Hammett
scored two tries to give the Crusaders a 10–6 lead
at half-time.[40] The Blues hit back to lead 21–10
with ten minutes to go. The Crusaders managed
another converted try, but it was not enough, and
the Blues won 21–17.[40]

The Crusaders' 2004 season began with two

losses: first to the Waratahs, then to the Blues.[41]
They recovered to again finish second on the
table with seven wins.[42] They played the
Stormers at Jade Stadium in their semi-final, and
won 27–16.[42] They met the Brumbies at
Canberra Stadium in a replay of the 2000 final.
The Brumbies dominated in the final, scoring 33
unanswered points in the first 19 minutes.[43] The
Crusaders managed to salvage some pride by
narrowing the loss to a 47–38 finish.[42]

The 2005 season started with a repeat of the

previous year's final: a Brumbies victory over the
Crusaders in Canberra.[44] There was a win the
following week at home over the Chiefs, followed
by a win over the Reds at Trafalgar Park.[45]
Although there was a 35–20 loss to the Bulls after
Crusaders captain Richie McCaw was knocked
unconscious, they eventually finished the regular
season top of the table.[46][47] McCaw returned
from his five weeks on the sideline to lead the
Crusaders in their semi-final victory over the
Hurricanes.[46][47] They faced the Waratahs in the
final at Jade Stadium. Leading 14–6 at halftime,
the Crusaders then moved out to a 29-point lead.
[48]
Despite three late tries by the Waratahs, the
Crusaders won their fifth title with a 35–20 win.
[48][49]

As a reward for their seventh finals appearance

and fifth title, the Crusaders were allowed to keep
the Super 12 trophy.[50] After the 2005 season,
the franchise saw the departure of stalwarts
Andrew Mehrtens and Justin Marshall, both of
whom had played for the team since its formation
in 1996.

Super 14: 2006–2010

Further information: 2006 Super 14 season, 2006 Super
14 Final

The Crusaders playing the Bulls in

2006.

In 2006, the Super 12 expanded to form the Super

14 when the Western Force from Perth, Australia,
and the Cheetahs from the Free State and
Northern Cape Provinces, South Africa joined the
competition. An unbeaten run of sixteen matches
was nearly halted when the Crusaders drew with
the Western Force in Perth in round eleven.[51]
The following week, the unbeaten run was ended
when the Crusaders lost to the Stormers in Cape
Town.[52] That loss was their only one of the year,
as they finished top of the table with eleven wins.
[53]
After beating the Bulls in their semi-final, the
Crusaders faced the Hurricanes in the final at
Jade Stadium that was played in a thick fog,
causing poor visibility.[54] Sections of the crowd
could not see the field, and many spectators left
during the match.[54] The scorers were tied 9–9
going into the game's last 20 minutes. The
Crusaders' Casey Laulala then scored the game's
only try before the match finished 19–12.[54]

In the 2007 Super 14 season, seven Crusaders

players missed the first seven rounds of the
competition to participate in an All Black
"conditioning programme".[55] The conditioning
programme was part of the All Blacks' 2007
Rugby World Cup preparations; 22 players were
selected for the programme. The Crusaders'
seven players in the programme was more than
any other New Zealand Super 14 franchise. The
Crusaders players were Chris Jack, Richie McCaw,
Greg Somerville, Reuben Thorne, Dan Carter,
Leon MacDonald, and Aaron Mauger.[55][56][57] All
but one of the seven returned to play for the
Crusaders in their eighth round match against the
Stormers (Greg Somerville did not return due to
injury).[58] The Crusaders climbed to second on
the table before defeating the Western Force 53–
0 at Jade Stadium in the tenth round.[59] The
victory over the Force was the one hundredth
Super rugby win for the Crusaders – the first
franchise to reach the milestone.[59][d]

The Crusaders were top of the table going into

the last round of the Super 14 before the play-
offs. To guarantee a home semi-final they needed
to defeat the Chiefs at Jade Stadium. The Chiefs
won 30–24 – and ended the Crusaders 26 game
winning streak at home.[60] As the Bulls defeated
the Reds 92–3 in the same round, they overtook
the Crusaders to finish second in the round robin.
[61]
The Crusaders then travelled to Pretoria to
face the Bulls in their semi-final where they lost
27–12.[62]

The 2008 season was another highly successful

one for the Crusaders. After finishing top of the
table at the end of the last round,[63] they
comfortably defeated the Hurricanes 33–22 in the
semi-final,[64] and went on to beat the Waratahs
in the final 20–12.[65] It was a fitting way to send
off long-serving coach Robbie Deans before he
departed to coach Australia.[66] It was also the
last game for Crusaders stalwarts Caleb Ralph
and former captain Reuben Thorne.[67] In July
that year former captain Todd Blackadder was
appointed Crusaders coach, and his former
teammates Mark Hammett and Daryl Gibson were
appointed as assistants.[68]

The 2009 season started with a sole win and a

draw from the Crusaders' first five matches; this
included a 6–0 loss to the Highlanders.[69][70] The
side found its feet later in the season, and won
key away games which ultimately saw them finish
in fourth place on the table – just ahead of the
Waratahs.[71] Both the Crusaders and Waratahs
finished the season with 41 competition points,
but the Crusaders advanced through to the semi-
finals due to a greater 'points for and against'
difference.

The Crusaders lost their semi-final to the Bulls

36–23 at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria in front of a
capacity 52,000 crowd.[72] The Bulls went on to
win the 2009 Super 14 title beating the Chiefs 61–
17.[73] Statistically, the Crusaders had the best
defensive record of the 2009 competition –
conceding just 198 points. However, points for,
and total tries scored was the second lowest in
the competition with just 231 points and 27 tries.

In 2010 the Crusaders had a very good start to the

season before a poor finish with three losses in
four games caused them to have to travel to
Orlando Stadium, Soweto to face the Bulls. They
lost the semi-final 39–24.

2011–2016
The 2011 season had a minor hiccup at the very
beginning with a two-point loss to the Blues. Their
second round match against the Hurricanes was
cancelled, and match declared a draw after the
Christchurch earthquake on 22 February which
caused 182 deaths. In their first match after the
earthquake they played the Waratahs, a team that
had only conceded six points in their previous two
games. The Crusaders triumphed 33–18 in a
convincing display in front of a sold-out stadium.
They next played the Brumbies and brushed them
aside in a 52–10 demolition. They next played the
Highlanders who had previously only lost one
match in the season, to the undefeated and table-
topping Stormers. The Crusaders won
comfortably 44–13 in Dunedin. The next team
they played, the Sharks, had like the Highlanders
previously only lost one match in the season
before the Crusaders won 44–28 at Twickenham
for a one-off match due to earthquake damage at
their own ground. They played the second match
in a sell-out crowd at Fraser Park in Timaru
against the Bulls winning 27–0. Round 9 they
played the Chiefs in Mt Maunganui and gained
four tries winning 34–16 with Richie McCaw
returning after eight weeks off with injury.
[citation needed]
Towards the end of the round-robin
phase, The Crusaders were vying with the
Queensland Reds for top spot in the table and
with it home advantage throughout the playoffs. In
the crucial deciding match v the Queensland Reds
in Brisbane, the Crusaders had a narrow lead
going into the final minute when the Australian
referee awarded the Reds a highly controversial
penalty and match-winning opportunity. This was
duly converted, handing the Reds the
aforementioned home-field playoff advantage.
The Crusaders lost the final at the Suncorp
Stadium to the Queensland Reds. Will Genia
scored a crucial try for the Reds to help them to
an 18–13 win.[74]

The 2012 season, the first in the new home

ground of Christchurch Stadium, saw the
Crusaders again reach the playoffs. However, they
were defeated by the (eventual champion) Chiefs
in the semi-final.

2017–2023
In 2017, Scott Robertson took over as head coach.
The Crusaders lost 3–12 to the British & Irish
Lions in Christchurch, during the Lions tour to
New Zealand.[75]

The team went on to win their 8th Super Rugby

title, defeating the Lions (25–17) in the final on 5
August 2017 at Ellis Park Stadium in
Johannesburg.[76]

In 2018, the Crusaders played the Lions again in

the final. This time they won (37–18) at home to
capture their ninth title.[77]

In 2019, they defeated the Jaguares from