Awards decision tough call on champs Crusaders
‘‘It certainly wasn’t a political decision, it was a decision based on merit.’’
Nathan Godfrey CRU chief executive
Scott Robertson is usually good for a chat, but on this occasion he kept things short and sweet.
Asked about the Canterbury Rugby Union’s decision to overlook the Crusaders, and instead nominate the Canterbury women’s team for a major teams award at the Canterbury Sports Awards, Robertson issued a sound bite that lasted all of three seconds.
‘‘I think you should talk to Nathan Godfrey about that,’’ Crusaders coach Robertson said on Thursday.
A follow-up question was issued. Robertson was advised that Stuff had spoken to CRU chief executive Godfrey on Wednesday.
Robertson held firm: ‘‘Please talk to Nathan, he’s made his decision.’’ End of story? Well, not quite.
Because when guests gather to nibble snacks and imbibe on their tipples at the Nexia NZ Canterbury Sports Awards in Christchurch on March 9, they may be tempted to discuss why the Crusaders missed the chance to win this prestigious prize.
The Canterbury women’s team have been recognised after winning the Farah Palmer Cup for the first time.
Following seven losses in the final they finally got the big prize. It was a terrific achievement.
The Crusaders also achieved something worth celebrating. They marked Robertson’s first year as coach, and Sam Whitelock’s debut season as captain, by doing what many thought was not possible.
They won the Super Rugby title in 2017, travelling to South Africa to upset the Lions in the thin air at Ellis Park in front of almost 62,000 supporters after 17 season wins from 18.
Some called it the greatest win in Super Rugby history. To travel to the Republic, have less than a week’s preparation and win 25-17 is a major feat.
That the Crusaders did it when All Blacks captain and No 8 Kieran Read was missing for much of the regular season because of injury, and their All Blacks had recently put their bodies and minds through the grinder during the series against the British and Irish Lions, just added more sweetener to the victory toast.
Super Rugby is a tough competition. Some argue it’s one of the most brutal in the world.
There are the long-haul trips abroad, jet-lag and the list of injured is often long.
The CRU’s decision was made by Godfrey and a committee of three board members.
The CRU initially asked for an exemption to be allowed more than one entry as they had three winning teams – the Canterbury women’s and men’s teams and the Crusaders – in 2017 but Sport Canterbury declined that request.
Choosing the Canterbury women’s team over the Crusaders was based purely on their on-field achievements, Godfrey maintained.
‘‘It certainly wasn’t a political decision, it was a decision based on merit,’’ Godfrey said.
‘‘It was based on performance. The women’s team winning their very first national championship deserved to be celebrated.’’
But the Crusaders also did well to win 17 of their 18 Super Rugby games in 2017, travelling tens of thousands of kilometres during a campaign when they met some of the best rugby players from New Zealand, South Africa, Japan and Australia.
Then came the stiff-arm tackle, one that few saw coming. And it was delivered by one of their own, the CRU.