Greatest rugby sides: Crusaders 1998-2008

David Skippers

We take a look at the best ever teams to have graced the sport from years gone by and today we delve into the Crusaders side that dominated Super 12 and 14.

A decade of dominance, seven titles and two head coaches, the Christchurch outfit were quite possibly the best ever non-international team. Under the guidance of the brilliant Wayne Smith, who then handed the reins to Robbie Deans following his departure for the All Blacks, they enjoyed an unprecedented amount of success.

Intra-country rivals the Blues initially ruled the roost upon the competition’s inception, winning the first two titles, but the ‘Saders soon took command. Their first season under Smith wasn’t exactly a success as they finished down in mid-table, but the talented coach soon weaved his magic and helped them to the top of the class.

In 1998, the Crusaders defeated the Auckland side in the final to signal a changing of the guard before they also emerged triumphant a year later. Smith then left, allowing for Deans to take over, and he enjoyed immediate success as they claimed their third successive championship.

There was a blip in 2001 but they were back to their best in ’02, overcoming the Brumbies in the showpiece event. Three more final victories would follow – in ’05, ’06 and ’08 – to complete Deans’ dynasty.

What made them great

To be as dominant as the Crusaders, you have to have everything. Whether it be a dominant pack or a creative backline, the Christchurch outfit could break down their opponents in several different ways and it brought them incredible success.

They were arguably the most conservative of the New Zealand franchises but they were clinical in their execution in all facets. The set-piece was always strong and the ‘Saders consistently produced outstanding half-backs, who were supreme at dictating play.

It is also impressive when you consider that the Australian franchises were strong and the South Africans, while not excelling internationally at times, still had their better players within the country.

Another facet of their, and especially Smith’s and Deans’, excellence was their ability to refresh the squad. To dominate Super 12 for that long, they needed to reinvent the team and future legends replaced greats of the 1998-2000 era to continue their stranglehold over the rest of the competition.

Key players

Few players spanned their decade-long success but utility back Leon MacDonald and back five forward Reuben Thorne did. Comfortable in several positions across the backline, MacDonald made his debut in 1997 and, despite stints with the Chiefs and Japanese side Yamaha Júbilo in 1998 and 2004 respectively, the 56-times New Zealand international remained in Christchurch until 2009.

Meanwhile, Thorne was a stalwart of the pack, becoming captain of the squad after previous skipper Todd Blackadder departed, and led them to their perfect season in 2002 as they won all 13 of their matches to lift the trophy. After defeats in the 2003 and ’04 finals, Thorne relinquished the captaincy with Richie McCaw taking over the role and the back-rower duly helped them to regain the title in ’05.

Others forwards to star during that period were lock Chris Jack and prop Greg Somerville, while current boss Scott Robertson was a crucial part of the team between 1998 and 2002.

Behind the scrum, half-backs Justin Marshall and Andrew Mehrtens were the two that directed the side around the field in the early years of their success before the emergence of Dan Carter in ’03.

Over the next two years, Carter gradually assumed command of playmaking duties at the Crusaders and helped direct a talented backline which contained the likes of Aaron Mauger and Caleb Ralph, who were key performers throughout the Crusaders’ outstanding run.

Landmark performance

There are plenty of games to choose from for what was pretty much the perfect team, but it feels apt to choose the match which secured the ‘perfect season’ back in 2002. The Crusaders had won all of their matches during the round-robin phase but some of those were extremely tight.

Amongst their wins was a narrow 33-32 victory against an impressive Brumbies side in Round Six, meaning the final between the two was expected to be tight. The Canberra-based outfit had claimed the title in 2001 and were in the midst of a golden age for Australian rugby.

George Gregan and Stephen Larkham made up a legendary half-back combination, while the presence of Owen Finegan, Stirling Mortlock, George Smith and Jeremy Paul made them one of the great teams in Super 12, but David Nucifora’s men were completely outplayed in the showpiece event.

The Christchurch team were utterly superb, scoring three tries via Marika Vunibaka and Ralph, who crossed the whitewash twice, as they went away with a 31-13 triumph. Mehrtens was typically superb, kicking three penalties, two conversions and a drop-goal, which secured an incredible 13 consecutive victories.