The most successful club in Super Rugby history, the Canterbury Crusaders, is weighing up a name change in the wake of the Christchurch terrorist attack.
On Wednesday, the Crusaders, whose base is not far from Al Noor mosque in the South Island city, said they were committed to undertaking a thorough review on the issue, but also that “there are more important things” to focus on at the moment.
Fifty people were killed and dozens more injured during last week’s terrorist attack at two mosques and discussion has since grown around the Crusaders’ name.
The Crusades were a series of religious wars sanctioned by the Latin Church between Christians and Muslims during the medieval period with the aim of reclaiming Jerusalem. The alleged shooter included references to the Crusades in his manifesto and printed the names of Christian Crusades military leaders on the weapons he used in the attack.
The Crusaders’ badge currently features a sword-wielding knight that boasts a cross on his chest similar to those worn during the Crusades. Chain-mail-clad knights on horseback ride around the playing field before the club’s home games.
The head coach, Scott Robertson, said in a video posted this week the club would consult the Muslim community in any discussions on the issue and they wanted to get the decision absolutely right.
“What we do is we play rugby, we’re a rugby club,” Robertson said. “[Regarding] the association of a name, we want to go through a process. We want to let people grieve, we want to make sure that they’ve got time, and we go to the people who can represent them [Muslim people] to get the information we need to make a great decision and do the right thing.”
The club said it understood concerns raised over the Crusaders’ name which for them is “a reflection of the crusading spirit of this community”.
“What we stand for is the opposite of what happened in Christchurch on Friday; our crusade is one for peace, unity, inclusiveness and community spirit,” a club statement read.
“In our view, this is a conversation that we should have and we are taking on board all the feedback that we are receiving, however, we also believe that the time for that is not right now.”
Initial feedback from fans appeared to be largely against the suggestion.
New Zealand’s minister for sport and recreation, Grant Robertson, said a conversation on the issue was a “responsible action to undertake” while player Sam Whitelock, who has captained the Crusaders, acknowledged the need for a discussion, but that now was not the right time.
“I just think at the moment this is bigger than rugby,” Sam Whitelock said. “We’re just trying to make sure that we take the appropriate time and make sure we’re very respectful and those decisions will happen in time but at the moment we’re just trying to give everyone space where they need it. Those things [decisions] will happen in the future when they’re most appropriate.”
The Crusaders, who have won nine Super Rugby titles, are back in action this round, against the Waratahs, after last weekend’s game against the Highlanders was called off following Friday’s attacks. Their next home game in Christchurch comes on 6 April against the Brumbies.
