Young Crusaders lock extends contract to 2028

Young Crusaders lock Jamie Hannah has extended his contract at the Christchurch-based side until 2028, locking in his future at the Super Rugby Pacific side that gave him his first professional opportunity.

The 22-year-old has showcased his talents after coming through Christchurch Boys 1st XV side as co-captain and through the Crusaders academy and youth ranks.

“Stilts,” as his teammates call him, made his debut for the Crusaders in 2023 and is delighted to extend his stay at the club he grew up watching.

“I have looked up to the Crusaders my whole childhood, growing up watching them, and now actually being here in the team, it’s something I always thought would be cool but never thought it would happen,” Hannah told the official Crusaders website.

“We talked about what was right for me, but it didn’t take long to come to the conclusion that staying here is the best option. This is the only Super Rugby team I want to be playing for. It was a pretty easy decision to be fair.”

Hannah has been in the Crusaders ranks for a couple of years now, after learning from some of the best locks in the world, like Samuel Whitelock and Scott Barrett.

Although there have been limited minutes available for the lock, he has been able to take every opportunity given to him and prove he’s able to compete at this level.

Hannah will look to add to his 16 Crusaders appearances, after another one of their locks, Zach Gallagher has made a move to the Hurricanes in Wellington, which could possibly open up more opportunities for Hannah.

The 200cm lock is excited about the 2025 playing group the Crusaders have at their disposal.

“I just love going into Rugby Park every day, we have a good bunch of boys in the team and I’m excited at the idea of continuing the legacy that’s already been laid down by players before me.”

Current Crusaders head coach Rob Penney was extremely happy to have secured the long-term future of the exciting lock.

“We’re really pleased to have Jamie extended through to 2028, he’s developed tremendously within the organisation over the last few years and I’m looking forward to seeing him force his way into the playing side to unleash his undoubted potential,” Penney said.