‘Are you serious?’ – Crusaders legend hits out at transfer target ‘taking the position away’ from a potential All Black
Former All Blacks prop and Crusaders legend Wyatt Crockett is not impressed by the reports.
Crusaders legend Wyatt Crockett has reacted to his former team potentially signing ex-Wallabies star James O’Connor.
Crockett is the only player in the history of Super Rugby to play 200 games in the competition, winning the tournament on four occasions. He also notched up 71 Test caps with the All Blacks, winning the 2015 Rugby World Cup with New Zealand.
Speaking on SENZ Radio’s Mornings with Ian Smith, the former prop was caught off guard by the reports that ex-Wallabies star O’Connor was being lined up by his former employers.
James O’Connor to the Crusaders?
The Crusaders have struggled to replace the world-class Richie Mo’unga, who headed to Japan following the 2023 Rugby World Cup. and their fly-half stocks were further hit with Fergus Burke’s departure to Saracens after the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific season.
According to a report by the New Zealand Herald, the Crusaders have looked to boost their experience in the backline and are close to finalising a deal to sign O’Connor, who departed the Queensland Reds for “an overseas opportunity.”
When the Reds announced the news, many thought the 34-year-old would be returning north – having played for the likes of London Irish, Toulon and Sale Sharks – or taking up a contract in Japan.
However, that does not seem to be the case with the Crusaders looking to bolster their options at fly-half with youngsters Rivez Reihana and Taha Kemara vying for the role, while the David Havili experiment at ten is also set to stop. The club also had Leigh Halfpenny primed to fill the role this past season but he has since joined English Premiership club Harlequins.
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Wyatt Crockett’s reaction
Crockett was speaking on the radio station when the news broke and was clearly shocked by the report and shared his immediate reaction, stating “I don’t like it.”
“Are you serious? Wow, interesting,” the ex-All Blacks said.
“I don’t know James but he is obviously getting to the end of his career. In my opinion, there is some young talent that have the potential and I enjoyed watching Cooper Grant run around last week for the Tasman Mako – I thought he was outstanding in his first game. I would have loved to see Willy Havili in the Crusaders’ jersey but unfortunately he has signed with Moana.
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“But yeah, it’s a controversial one that because you are taking a short-term gain with an experienced player but you are taking that development position away from another guy who could go on to become an All Black. Personally, I don’t like it.”
The Crusaders endured a torrid first season without Scott Robertson, who won seven successive Super Rugby Pacific titles, losing their opening five games of the season.
They notched up their first win in round six and would win just three further games, meaning that they did not qualify for the knock-out stages of the competition for the first time since 2015.
Despite the poor results in 2024, head coach Rob Penney retained his role and will lead the side during the 2025 season.
