‘Right a few wrongs’: Ex-Wales flyer’s message of intent with Crusaders

Former Wales and Scarlets outside back Johnny McNicholl will continue to wear a red jersey after recommitting to the Crusaders for another two seasons. The 34-year-old returned to the Super Rugby club in 2024 as injury cover, but it didn’t take long for the flyer to capture headlines.

McNicholl’s professional rugby career started with the Crusaders in the second round of the 2014 Super Rugby season. On February 21, the speedster started on the right edge in a 10-18 loss to New Zealand rivals the Chiefs at Christchurch’s AMI Stadium.

The Cantabrian played 35 matches for the traditional southern hemisphere giants before heading up north to pursue an opportunity with Scarlets. McNicholl went on to play 10 Test matches for Wales as well before returning to New Zealand’s shores earlier this year.

Crusaders coach Rob Penney called McNicholl into the squad as cover, with the Welsh international coming off the bench in a round five loss to the Blues. But the following Friday in Christchurch, McNicholl stole the show with a try-scoring double in the win over the Chiefs.

McNicholl did enough to impress Crusaders coaches with the club keeping the utility for a further two years. It’s a valuable inclusion to the Crusaders’ roster considering they’ve farewelled experienced campaigners Joe Moody, Ryan Crotty and Owen Franks.

“I was definitely nervous because I hadn’t prepared to play, I wasn’t sure what it was going to be like to come back and play in the comp I’d been away from for so long,” McNicholl said in a statement.

“But I was on the field in 10 minutes and once you’re out there it all comes naturally again.

“It was pretty special playing out in front of the family again.

“Last year, the results weren’t really going our way, we had a lot of close games. I was happy with the way I was playing, and I guess that’s reflected in being wanted to stay for a couple more years.”

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With McNicholl part of the charge, the Crusaders will look to put a disappointing season behind them as they rip into pre-season and look ahead to a new start. The Crusaders had won seven Super Rugby titles in as many years before an uncharacteristically poor campaign in 2024.

The Crusaders lost their first five matches before McNicholl’s double inspired a much-needed 37-26 win at Apollo Projects Stadium. While there was a sense at the time that the Crusaders may have turned their season around, that didn’t quite prove to be the case.

After wins over the NSW Waratahs and Western Force, the Crusaders registered an emphatic 39-nil win over the Melbourne Rebels. They only won two other matches to round out the season, though, including a scintillating 29-27 win over eventual champions the Blues.

But after finishing just outside of a playoff spot in ninth place, the Crusaders took no part in the next stage of the competition. The Hurricanes finished on top at the end of the round-robin, but it was the Blues and Chiefs who met in the Grand Final at Eden Park.

As Nicholl mentioned, the Crusaders want to “right a few wrongs.”

“This is where all my family is, being away for seven years was tough,” McNicholl explained. “It’s good to be in a place with all my family around.

“Christmas period was probably the most important period of rugby in the UK, our biggest game of the year was on Boxing Day, so I’ll finally be able to enjoy myself on Christmas Day which will be nice.

“I’m excited to jump back in with the boys and rip into the season and right a few wrongs from last year.”