Crusaders prepare for change

The Crusaders rugby team is preparing to change the delivery of its match-day entertainment for its Super Rugby home game against the Brumbies on Saturday week.

Exactly what changes they make for their first home game since the Christchurch terrorist attack have not been rubberstamped, but Crusaders chief executive Colin Mansbridge told Stuff sword-wielding Knights were ‘‘unlikely’’ to roll around Christchurch Stadium on horses before kickoff.

‘‘For this particular game, given it’s the first game since the terrorist attack, the horses are unlikely to be there. It’s not unequivocal yet, but they’re unlikely to be there and the game will reflect the occasion,’’ he said.

The Crusaders have come under fire from some people since the March 15 mosque shootings, with calls for them to change their name and emblem, and for the horses which have featured since the team’s inception in 1996 to be scrapped.

A series of conflicts known as the Crusades – between Christians and Muslims in the Mediterranean which started about 1000 years ago – are behind the calls for change. Debate has been plentiful and sometimes heated.

‘‘We are getting a lot of feedback. You don’t have to be too well connected to anything to see how much feedback we’re getting,’’ Mansbridge told Stuff.

The Crusaders are understood to have multiple plans for the delivery of their next home game, but the only thing Mansbridge confirmed was it would honour the victims of the attack.

The Crusaders are working through a draft process with New Zealand Rugby and their board, but have not yet consulted the Muslim community. ‘‘We will probably be into that stage next week,’’ Mansbridge said.

When declaring the Christchurch-based franchise would consider a name change, Mansbridge said the Crusaders name was a reflection of the ‘‘crusading spirit of this community, and certainly not a religious statement’’.

‘‘What we stand for is the opposite of what happened in Christchurch [on March 15]; our crusade is one for peace, unity, inclusiveness and community spirit.’’

The Crusaders cancelled their match against the Highlanders earlier this month. It was scheduled to be played the day after the shootings.