Based in Christchurch, the Crusaders, originally known as the Canterbury Crusaders, are a professional rugby union side from New Zealand that plays in the Super Rugby league. With 14 championships to their name, they are the most successful squad in the competition’s history.
Rugby union players from a variety of Pacific Island countries, including Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, and the Cook Islands, as well as those born in New Zealand or Australia, make up Moana Pasifika Originally formed for a single game against the Māori All Blacks in December 2020, the team’s ultimate goal was to strive to get into Super Rugby.
The Crusaders are the provincial rugby unions from the Buller, Canterbury, Mid-Canterbury, South Canterbury, Tasman, and West Coast of New Zealand. They were founded in 1996 to represent the upper South Island in the Super 12. Since 2012, Rugby League Park also known as Apollo Projects Stadium due to sponsorship has served as their primary home field. Before Jade Stadium was irreparably damaged in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, they used to play there.
New Zealand Rugby announced on April 14, 2021, that the team had been given a provisional licence to play in the Super Rugby league. The squad received an unconditional licence on July 12, 2021, which officially confirmed their participation in the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific season. On March 4, 2022, the squad participated in their first Super Rugby match.
In the Super 12’s inaugural season in 1996, the Crusaders had difficulty and came in last. In 1997, they performed better and came in sixth place. Even though every final was contested away from home, the squad went on to win three titles between 1998 and 2000. After staying undefeated throughout the season, they won the competition once more in 2002. They made it to the championship game once again in the next two seasons, but they lost both times. The final season of the Super 12 prior to its expansion was 2005. The Crusaders hosted the final and defeated the Waratahs there after taking first place in the standings that season. For Rugby News The Daily Rugby
Coach Tana Umaga of Moana Pasifika selected a 26-man roster for their December 5, 2020, matchup with the Māori All Blacks on November 24, 2020. Players from New Zealand who were either international or sevens capped by a Pacific team or who identified as Pacific region natives made up the team. The team’s debut game took place at Waikato Stadium on December 5, 2020, against the Māori All Blacks. Leading by Samoan international Michael Ala’alatoa, a Sydney native, the team fell short against the Māori 28–21.
The trophy was awarded to the Crusaders to retain after they won their fifth Super 12 title. In the first-ever Super 14 championship in 2006, the Crusaders hosted and defeated the Hurricanes 19–12. The Crusaders hosted the 2008 final at AMI Stadium, where they defeated the Waratahs 20–12 to win their seventh championship. They defeated the Lions in 2017 to win their seventh championship. In the 2018 final, the Crusaders hosted the Lions and prevailed 37–18 to win their ninth championship. In 2019, the Crusaders defeated the Jaguares at home to win their eleventh Super Rugby championship.
The licences for the South African Super Rugby teams the Bulls, Lions, Sharks, and Stormers as well as the Argentine Jaguares and the Japanese Sunwolves expired after the 2020 season. The COVID-19 pandemic continued to affect the 2021 Super Rugby season, which was played in two regionalized tournaments with the five Super Rugby teams from New Zealand and the four Super Rugby teams from Australia. The Western Force, who had lost their licence at the end of the 2017 Super Rugby season, also participated in the tournament. But starting in 2022, a brand-new 12-team competition was being discussed, and on November 13, 2020, the New Zealand Rugby Union declared Moana Pasifika and the Fijian Drua to be its preferred partners.