Blackadder junior joins Crusade

Ethan Blackadder scribbled down his goal of becoming a Crusader on a piece of paper at the start of the season.

At 10.30am on Tuesday, he received a phone call confirming he was one of seven new players in the reigning champions’ 38-strong squad for the 2018 Super Rugby season.

Of course, one of the first things he did was fire off a text message to his old man, Todd Blackadder, a former Crusaders captain and coach.

‘‘I just sent a text, nothing too serious,’’ the Tasman Makos’ 22-year-old blindside flanker said.

But for many Crusaders fans Blackadder’s inclusion in the squad is serious, given his pedigree and the big wraps the Christchurch-based franchise have on him.

Head coach Scott Robertson, who named his squad via a videoconference call from London on Wednesday morning (NZT), called him raw and rugged, while assistant Jason Ryan raved about his work-rate.

‘‘I’m a really big fan, to be fair. First of all, he’s got great character,’’ Ryan said. ‘‘What we really like about him is he’s got unbelievable work ethic. He empties his tank every game, he’s a great team man, really well liked in Tasman.’’

Blackadder’s rise into the squad, which also includes new names in Tom Sanders, Billy Harmon, Jack Stratton, Mike Delany, Braydon Ennor and Will Jordan, was quick.

Shortly after trudging off AMI Stadium in the wake of Tasman’s 35-13 loss to Canterbury in the Mitre 10 Cup final on Saturday night, he caught wind of some interest.

He didn’t get his hopes up, and instead played it cool until the words he jotted down earlier in the year became a reality.

‘‘At the start of the season, that’s what I wrote down . . . that was my goal,’’ Blackadder said.

‘‘It’s what I was after. I knew it was going to be hard to get - they don’t just hand them out. I was quite surprised, I was blown away when I got the phone call.’’

Like the McCaw, Carter and Thorne surnames, the Blackadder name is one of the most revered names at the franchise.

Former All Black captain Todd Blackadder’s eight-year coaching tenure ended without a title, but the former lock played 71 matches for the franchise and captained them to three of their eight titles.

Ethan said he and his father, who left the Crusaders at the end of last season, speak on the phone at least once a week.

The newly minted Crusader effectively replaces Manawatu’s Heiden Bedwell-Curtis in the squad, and joins Matt Todd, Kieran Read, Pete Samu, Tom Sanders, Jordan Taufua and Billy Harmon in the loose forwards mix. All Blacks lock Scott Barrett can also play No 6.

Blackadder, who first played for the Makos last year and was a member of the Crusaders academy, plans to be a ‘‘sponge’’ when pre-season training starts on November 29.

‘‘I’m going to take in every bit of knowledge I can.‘‘