Ali Williams: What makes the Crusaders so dominant
77-Test All Black Ali Williams revisits his 2008 stint with the Crusaders in his exclusive RugbyPass column, and details how Super Rugby’s best side has moved ahead of the pack.
When you look at the Crusaders, you’ve got to sit there and admire what they’ve done.
If we cast our eyes all the way back to where they started, they finished dead last in their first season before moving up to the middle of the pack in their second. In the third season of Super Rugby they captured their first title, and won the next two iterations as the competition’s first real dynasty. Looking back, we can see that from failure came something pretty amazing.
I was fortunate enough to be down there for one season, and noticed several elements that separate the Crusaders juggernaut from the rest of the competition.
The first thing that stands out with the Crusaders is the culture. Yes, it’s a very broad word, every team has their own culture, some more successful than others. Some are toxic and some are empowering. The Crusaders culture is empowering in a funny sort of way.
They demand you to be yourself and be your own person, but they also demand that you have the ability to be morphed into a Crusader man. Whether you’re there for one season, whether you’re there for life, you become a Crusader man.
That means you do and think the Crusaders way all the time – what’s best for the team, how do I make this team better, how can I help the coaches, how do I enhance this culture, how do I give back to my community?
Little things like that really give you a connection to the team. We look at the Crusaders now and you see all of the young talent coming through. A lot of them were little kids who have been touched by past Crusaders and have grown up with dreams of becoming a Crusader.
When they finally arrive at that point, they embrace the fact that it’s their turn and their selection bears special significance. For other franchises, you find many players who come and go and don’t often originate from the region.
The Crusaders’ key to sustained success is that they’ve got their formula and they don’t stray from it. They’re not picking men solely on talent, they’re picking men primarily on character. I remember when I was faced with the decision of leaving the Blues in 2007. I spoke to Robbie Deans at the Crusaders and I spoke to Ian Foster at the Chiefs.
Robbie Deans turned around and said “Look, I know you Ali. Come if you want to come.” The next thing I did was ring Richie McCaw, and asked him what he thought I should do.
Richie suggested I flip a coin and said that before I looked at the result I would know. Something would tell me. That’s exactly what happened and that’s where I went.
At the Crusaders there’s a huge element of trust that you don’t find in many other places. The staff and the players are on one level, all the way from the baggage man through to the head coach and the CEO. They’re all on the same level with the same collective drive. It’s ingrained in them.
If you’re a new guy that comes down – speaking from my position – you find you are immediately embraced and trusted by those around you. If you’re not your stock-standard human, you’ve got your own special elements to you, the Crusaders want to enhance that. They want those elements to come out because they know if you’re down there you’re committed to the cause.
I think of guys like Mose Tuiali’i, Norm Maxwell, or more recently someone like Bryn Hall. During his tenure with the Blues he spent a lot of time in the shadows and probably struggled a bit, he goes down south and all of a sudden he’s running the operation and has evolved into a true general of the game. Departing Crusaders wing Seta Tamanivalu summed the team up perfectly when he acknowledged the brotherhood the club has and the emphasis on family that he was yet to find before his arrival in Christchurch.
This leads into the area that truly separates the Crusaders; their philosophy in terms of their makeup. Every team has their All Blacks and most teams build around those marquee figures. The Crusaders build around the rest of the crop.
If you look at it, especially now with all of the distractions and interruptions, it’s probably the best way to do it. These guys are constantly in the team. Someone like Matt Todd is the backbone. Someone like Wyatt Crockett, yes, he’s been an All Black but he’s someone who’s just been a Crusader man through and through.
My own time with the Crusaders was one of the most enjoyable experiences of my career. It was just so easy. You turned up, you trained hard, you got on with each other and left having made lifelong friends. My locking partners, Ross Filipo – I don’t see him very regularly but I always consider him as a genuinely great mate – and Brad Thorn – I think that’s where we started our friendship and relationship. We just understood each other week to week.
Off the park, if you look at the staff the Crusaders have had over time, they are all individuals who are connected with a purpose in life. A desire to be the greatest.
Look at current Crusaders head coach Scott Robertson. Unfortunately, I never played with Razor but he is such a good man, and as a past Crusader you still have a teammate-like connection. He enjoyed life and had a sense of humor that is second to none, and he hasn’t changed as a coach. He’s grown into his role as a coach but hasn’t allowed his professional development to stop him from embracing who he is as a man.
I think that sums up the Crusader way.
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Comments on RugbyPass
A long held question in popular culture asks if art imitates live or does the latter influence the former? Over this 6 nations I can ask the same question of the media influencing the thoughts of its audience or vice versa. Nobody wants to see cricket scores in rugby, as a spectacle it is not sustainable. With so many articles about England’s procession and lack of competition it feeds the epicaricacy of many looking for an opportunity to pounce. England are not the first team to dominate nor does it happen only in rugby, think Federer, Nadal, Red Bull or Mercedes, Manchester Utd, Australia in tests and World Cups. Instead of celebrating the achievements why find reasons to falsify it pointing towards larger playing pool, professional for a longer period or mitigate with the lack of growth in other nations. Can we not enjoy it while it is hear and know that it won’t last for ever, others coveting what England have will soon take the crown, ask the aforementioned?
6 Go to commentsShame he won’t turn out for the Netherlands now they’re improving. U20s are Euro champs and in the U20 Trophy this year. The senior sides gets better every year too.
2 Go to commentsWill rugbypass tv be showing these games?
1 Go to commentsWell where do you start, the fact that England have a professional domestic league and Ireland’s is fully amatuer, that they have fully seperated professional squads at Fifteens and Sevens (7’s thinly disguised as GB), and Ireland have fully pro Sevens squad who loan some players back to the Semi-Professional Fifteens squad (moved from amateur for only a year or so) for a few games at 6N & RWC’s. The Women’s games is a shambles, and is at risk of killing itself by pushing for professionalism when the market isn’t really there to support it outside one or two countnries..
6 Go to commentsWayne Smith's input didn't have as much impact on the last final as Davison's red card for Thompson. England were 14 points up and flying when that happened.
6 Go to commentsBilly's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
3 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
2 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
28 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to commentsSouth Africa rarely play Ireland and France on these tours. Mostly, England, Scotland and Wales. I wonder why
2 Go to commentsIt was a let’s-see-what-you're-made-of type of a game. The Bulls do look good when the opposition allows them to, but Munster shut them down, and they could not find a way through. Jake should be very worried about their chances in the competition.
2 Go to commentsHats off to Fabian for a very impressive journey to date. Is it as ‘uniquely unlikely’ as Rugby Pass suggests, given Anton Segner’s journey at the Blues?
2 Go to commentsSad that this was not confirmed. When administrators talk about expanding the game they evidently don’t include pathways to the top tier of rugby for teams outside of the old boys club. Rugby deserves better, and certainly Georgia does.
2 Go to commentsLions might take him on if they move on Van Rooyen but I doubt he will want to go back, might consider it a step backwards for himself. Sharks would take him on but if Plumtree goes on to win the challenge cup they will keep him on. Also sharks showing some promising signs recently. Stormers and Bulls are stable and Springboks are already filled up. Quality coach though, interesting to see where he ends up
1 Go to commentsAnd the person responsible for creating a culture of accountability is?
3 Go to commentsMore useless words from Ben Smith -Please get another team to write about. SA really dont need your input, it suck anyway.
264 Go to commentsThis disgraceful episode must result in management and coach team sackings. A new manager with worse results than previous and the coaching staff need to coached. Awful massacre led by donkeys.
1 Go to commentsInteresting article with one glaring mistake. This sentence: “And between the top four nations right now, Ireland, France, South Africa, and New Zealand…” should read: And between the top four nations right now, South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand and France…”. Get it right wistful thinkers, its not that hard.
24 Go to commentsHow did Penny get the gig anyway?
3 Go to commentsNice write up Nick and I would have agreed a week ago. However as you would know Cale & co got absolutely monstered by the Blues back row of Sotutu, Ioane and Papaliti and not all of these 3 are guaranteed a start in the Black jumper. He may need to put some kgs before stepping up, Spring tour? After the week end Joe will be a bit more restless. Will need to pick a mobile tough pack for Wales and hope England does the right thing and bashes the ABs. I like your last paragraph but I would bring Swinton, Hannigan into the 6 role and Bobby V to 8
28 Go to comments