WHAT’S IN A NAME? If not Crusaders, what about these?
Could the Mainlanders, McCaws, Ko¯ ura, Suns, Rangers, Nor’westers or Merinos be a good fit for Super Rugby’s most successful club?
If the Crusaders do undergo a name change in the wake of the terror attacks on two Christchurch mosques, there are no shortage of suggestions.
Stuff has received an unprecedented amount of feedback – numbering well into the hundreds – to a story that raised the question: If Crusaders change name following Christchurch shootings, what should it be?
There have been widespread calls for the Christchurch-based Super Rugby club to consider rebranding given the Crusaders moniker has links to the medieval Crusades that included wars between Christians and Muslims in the Mediterranean that cost somewhere between 1 and 2 million lives.
Surprisingly, much of the feedback received by Stuff was from Crusaders fans who were accepting of a name change. Others offered suggestions but prefer the Crusaders tag to stay.
Change is never easy to accept. If the Crusaders do rebrand the replacement will take years to fully grow on its fans so patience will be needed.
The Crusaders have said they ‘‘understood the concerns that have been raised’’ and will consider a name change.
Suggestions that proved the most popular with Stuff readers included:
❚ Aoraki – the mountain that towers over the Crusaders catchment
❚ Rapids – in reference to the many rivers that flow through the region
❚ Ko¯ ura – the Ma¯ ori name for Crayfish
❚ Merinos – alluding to the region’s sheep farming
❚ Rangers – as a tribute to the Southern Alps that run through the middle of the catchment
❚ Broncs – to keep the horse theme going
❚ Suns – due to the high sunshine hours in the Marlborough and Tasman regions
❚ Ka¯ rearea – the Ma¯ ori name for the Falcon
❚ Waitaha – in reference to the South Island iwi that formerly occupied much of the South Island.
Conquerors, Pioneers, United, Mainlanders, Shepherds, Hammerheads, Keas, Spirit, Crushers, Phoenix, Braves, Cavaliers, Saracens, Cantabrians, Courageous, Courage and Nor’westers also received significant reader endorsements.
But can anyone really imagine heading to Christchurch’s new rugby stadium in a couple of years to cheer on the Nor’westers, McCaws, Pioneers, Mainlanders, Shepherds, Pandas, Trojans or Pukekos?
Al Noor, meaning the light in Arabic, received a nomination as did Quakers in reference to the terror attacks and the Canterbury earthquakes. Beacons, symbolising a beacon of hope, was also mooted.
Crusaders coach Scott Robertson and captain Sam Whitelock fronted media at Christchurch Airport on Thursday before heading to Sydney to take on the Waratahs, reiterating their view it was too soon to be talking about a possible name change.
On Tuesday, Robertson, Whitelock and All Blacks captain Kieran Read appeared in a video with radio host Jason Gunn with a message to let the people of Canterbury grieve before any decision is made about a name change.