Misgivings about name
Former chairman had reservations if it was a good fit four New Zealand teams could be linked to their regions through historical or geographical reasons, Stewart privately wondered if the Crusaders – who were originally called the Canterbury Crusaders – label was relevant to a team based in New Zealand.
On the Crusaders’ official website it states that one the potential names in the mix was the ‘‘Plainsmen’’. But Stewart said his recollection of what took place when rugby turned professional after the 1995 World Cup differed.
‘‘We inherited a name. I think the colours and the jerseys, we may have had some input into it. We never challenged it; we accepted it and marketed it.’’
Later NZ Rugby urged the five Super Rugby entities to drop the provincial prefixes.
Stewart served one year as Crusaders chairman, but remained on the board until he moved to Auckland in 2000. He said he was appalled to learn about the tragedy in Christchurch.
‘‘What has happened in the past week is just beyond imagination. Just like the whole world, I am horrified. It is such a disgusting act. There is no rationalisation for this sort of stuff.’’
Minister for Sport and Recreation Grant Robertson says he supports any discussions around a potential name change for the Crusaders in the wake of the Christchurch shootings.