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Crusaders sign Highlanders loose forward to replace outgoing Pablo Matera

Christian Lio-Willie. (Photo by Joe Allison/Getty Images)

While the Crusaders won’t have Argentinian international Pablo Matera on their books for next season, the Super Rugby Pacific champions have quickly swooped to replace the outgoing Puma by bringing in a loose forward from their closest rivals.

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Otago and Highlanders utility forward Christian Lio-Willie will head north for the next two seasons and is capable of stepping into both the No 6 and No 8 jerseys.

Lio-Willie made his debut for the southerners earlier this season, earning one start and one appearance off the bench before succumbing to an ankle injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the Highlanders’ campaign.

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The biggest challenge facing the All Blacks in their first test of 2022.

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The biggest challenge facing the All Blacks in their first test of 2022.

Although Lio-Willie’s time at the Highlanders was brief, the 23-year-old made a big impact on the park and his performances would have likely cemented a spot in the run-on side for the remainder of the year, had he remained injury-free.

“Razor [Robertson] gave me a call and was interested,” Lio-Willie told Stuff this week regarding the move. “I just thought I’d been down there for six years, I felt I needed a bit of a change of scenery. I’ve been interested in their culture and what they’ve got going on at the Crusaders, and hopefully I can add my own unique flavour to it.

“For me, really it was just trying to be better as a player, try and put myself in a different environment. When the opportunity came up, especially with Pablo off, I’m just hoping to replace that sort of role.”

In Shannon Frizell, Billy Harmon and Marino Mikaele-Tu’u the Highlanders boast one of the best first-choice loose forward combinations in the competition and Lio-Willie would have found himself competing with the likes of James Lentjes and Sean Withy for opportunities last season.

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It’s a similar story at the Crusaders, however, with Ethan Blackadder, Tom Christie and Cullen Grace likely to be the starting trio for 2023.

One way or another, Lio-Willie wasn’t going to be guaranteed a spot in the match-day 23 – let alone the starting line-up, but has evidently decided that the Crusaders will prove the best pathway to bettering his game and potentially higher honours.

“While tracking Christian through the 2021 NPC and 2022 Super Rugby Pacific season, he has impressed with his ability on both sides of the ball – showing physicality on defence, winning collisions at the breakdown and powerful ball carries on attack,” said the Crusaders’ official release regarding the new signing.

Lio-Willie is aiming to make a return to the field early in the NPC season with Otago.

RugbyPass understands that Tasman halfback Noah Hotham – who has been a member of the Highlanders Under 20s side – has also signed with the Crusaders as a replacement for the departing Bryn Hall.

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J
JW 27 minutes ago
Super Rugby is booming, but is it actually helping the All Blacks?

Theres still the problem of it all being behind doors, no consultation or notice of their decision to remove injury checks on the field, an attempt ambitious but which wholly had failed when it had to be removed half way through the competition. How may they have introduced that better if they had of consulted fans and teams? The new body still has a long way to go to be a real pro body like those mentioned.


I certainly hope they can show they can evaluate feedback and reintroduce the idea in an improved concept next year.

two hemispheres.

LOL are you a flat earther as well Gregor?

The average game length (excluding half-time) was 90 minutes and 11s, compared with 91 minutes and seven seconds in 2024.

This stat combined with the ridiculous amount of overtime played must mean theres more than 5minutes of rugby played in SR than any european competition. Incredible.

As an entertainment product, Super Rugby is starting to rebuild itself as one of the game’s hottest properties.

But what’s not clear yet, is whether it’s is going to deliver on its other goal: a competition with the necessary physical and competitive intensity to prepare New Zealand’s best players for what they will encounter in the international arena.

It has been since it’s formation. It was the second attempt and what the Aratipu report considered the best way forward for the game. Which was a move away from the orginal foundations of SR as being just a test ground for the respective National teams. It was time to make it a financially successful competition instead.

And this is the reality of picking an All Blacks squad in the Super Rugby Pacific era

It’s always been the reality even for Super Rugby, even if much less so for ALL other pro sports.

he was practically hinting to media they shouldn’t always be seduced by what they see in Super Rugby

Sititi was the form SR selection, it’s the only reason he made it in.

This year, there could again be a few surprises. Could Dalton Papali’i– a prominent force for the Blues – miss out to the rugged Simon Parker who has been a workhorse for the Chiefs, carrying with an impact his 1.96m, 117kg frame enables?

That would be selecting of form, not who you believe is best test suited.

but will it be the Highlanders’ Fabien Holland who wins a spot because he carted the ball up the middle of the field thanklessly and relentlessly

Yes hopefully, he’s been the stand out Lock this year.

or will the latter’s deft touches and smart kicking be preferred?

Depends on what the teams lacking.

is it mad to wonder whether the combative and defensively adept Finlay Christie is better equipped to play Test rugby

Yes, he’s been proven to not be good enough.

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