3: saM WhIteloCk

It felt for a time – between 2008 and 2016 – that the magic had gone from the Crusaders. The titles that flowed so readily before, dried up.

And then, boom, Sam Whitelock took over the captaincy in 2017 and the Crusaders were a different team. Okay, Razor Robertson arrived as a coach, too, but the combination between the two transformed the Crusaders.