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. Tayla Harris has thanked her heavyweight supporters after the AFLW star’s powerful call for change which has disarmed internet nasties and fuelled a possible rebrand for the sport.
Harris has endured a whirlwind 48 hours after a photo, taken by Michael Wilson, of her playing for Carlton had been set upon by online bullies. The 21-year-old was strident and selfless in calling out the abuse.
One fan, Blake Griffiths, went so far as to have the image tattooed on his right arm.
‘‘If I can stand up here and say something about it and start the conversation . . . if that helps one person or heaps of people, then that’s what I want to do,’’ Harris said on Wednesday.
Harris succeeded in galvanising support for the causes of desexualising images of women in sport and reducing online abuse.
Thousands of fans have voiced their support for Harris in the same online forums previously populated by abusive men.
Fellow AFLW stars, Matildas captain Sam Kerr and even Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison have backed Harris on social media and in spoken comments.
Kerr took aim at Channel Seven, which deleted the picture in response to the online attack, tweeting ‘‘THE PROBLEM WAS NOT THE PHOTO’’, before the broadcaster apologised and reposted the image on social media.
Champion cyclist Anna Meares called the image ‘‘incredible’’.
Premiership-winning Adelaide captain Erin Phillips led the support from around the league.
At a media conference on Thursday, the prime minister called the abusers ‘‘cowardly grubs who need to wake up to themselves’’.
The AFL has also celebrated Harris’ actions, adopting a silhouette of the image in place of the AFLW logo.
Harris responded on Thursday by posting her thoughts on Twitter.
‘‘THANKYOU!! Everyone who messaged, posted, commented and shared recently. Things have changed . . . if you’re not with us, you will be left behind,’’ she wrote.