Kiwis want to keep Crusaders name
A new poll suggests 76 per cent of New Zealanders want the Crusaders name to stay.
The Christchurch-based Super Rugby franchise and New Zealand Rugby (NZR) are reviewing the Crusaders name and imagery in the wake of the March 15 terror attacks on two Christchurch mosques that claimed 50 lives.
According to a 1 NEWS Colmar Brunton poll, 76 per cent of those surveyed were against a name change.
The poll asked eligible voters: ‘‘Following the Christchurch terrorist attack, do you think the Crusaders rugby team should change their name?’’
Fourteen per cent supported a name change and 8 per cent were unsure.
The name-change pressure emerged because of the centuries-old sensitivity over the history of the Crusades, which were bloody medieval conflicts between Muslims and Christians.
‘‘So these are really striking figures and what they tell us is that a very small proportion of New Zealanders understand the deep history of conflict between Muslims and Christians that the word Crusade means,’’ historian Peter Lineham told TVNZ.
People living in Otago and Southland, National Party supporters and those aged between 18-29 were more likely to believe the Crusaders should keep the name.
There is no timeframe for the joint review to be completed but Crusaders chief executive Colin Mansbridge has confirmed it would not be before the completion of the 2019 season.
However, the Crusaders horsemen have not been seen again since the terror attacks and their long-term future is in doubt.
NZR chief executive Steve Tew said earlier this month that ‘‘maintaining the status quo in terms of the Crusaders name along with the current imagery of knights on horseback is, in our view, no longer tenable’’.
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