Flynn: Pride, not cash, the answer

Former All Blacks hooker Corey Flynn believed the right “attitude” was behind the Crusaders’ success on Saturday night and suggested certain teams were let down by players who were driven solely by money.

The Crusaders decisively claimed their ninth Super Rugby title with a 37-18 victory over the Lions at AMI Stadium in Christchurch.

With a resilient performance that successfully defended the Lions’ rolling mauls, the Crusaders demanded attention in the second-half as they hurt the South African side both physically and mentally to defend the title.

When asked what was to credit for the Crusaders’ stand-out season and impressive final, Flynn said he believed it was his former side’s “attitude” that made all the difference.

“Attitude and pride in your line,” he told Radio Sport’s Jason Pine.

“There’s a lot of thinking and a lot of planning that goes into what you see in that final product. What you saw last night was a demolition of the Lions’ strength but that doesn’t just happen. At the end of the day it just comes down to attitude and if you want them to not cross the line then you’ll stop them.” The former Crusader suggested that certain teams were often let down by a moneydriven attitude and said the level of “bone-deep” desire to win was what had fuelled the Crusaders’ stunning record.

“You have different levels . . . you have an absolutely unrelenting desire not to let them go and then you’ve also got the ‘well I’m getting paid for this so I need to try hard’,” he said.

“If you’re just there at face value saying ‘I’m a professional rugby player and okay yeah I’ll have a crack at stopping them but if I can’t, maybe I’ll do it next time’.”