Crotty shows his staying power
Ryan Crotty elected to shun several lucrative offers from overseas clubs to continue his own crusade.
Despite offers tabled from English and French clubs, Crotty, who has stayed loyal to New Zealand Rugby through to the end of 2017, said the chance to play 100 games for the Crusaders and to add to his 13 All Blacks caps were what lured him into dropping anchor in Christchurch.
Given he will play his 92nd Super Rugby match for the Crusaders against the Brumbies in Canberra on Saturday afternoon, and he has proved to be one of the most durable competitors in recent seasons, he is a fairly safe bet to reach his century next year.
The 26-year-old mulled the positives of heading overseas but reckons he still has a burning desire to achieve success at home.
His decision to stay would surely have been swayed by All Black incumbents Conrad Smith and Ma’a Nonu heading overseas after the World Cup, as well as Sonny Bill Williams being tipped to play a limited role at test level because he will chase a sevens berth at the Rio Olympics.
‘‘There’s a few world-class midfield players that are heading off next year, so hopefully I can play well and give myself an opportunity to play a few more test matches,’’ Crotty said.
‘‘All Black rugby is always the ultimate goal.’’
But there must have been plenty of temptation to pack his bags, given he would have commanded a hefty price tag in the northern hemisphere and that his salary in New Zealand would be about half of what he could earn overseas.
Crotty’s good mate, Colin Slade, is heading to French club Pau, who will play in the Top 14 next season, for what Fairfax understands to be a deal worth about $800,000 per season.
But ultimately Crotty could not put a price on a Crusaders century: ‘‘It’s always been a goal of mine and it would be pretty cool to think my name could be amongst the guys that have achieved that.
‘‘The players that have done that for this franchise are all players that I’ve looked up to – it’s a pretty special club.’’
But he is not ruling out a move in the future.
With so many changes at the Crusaders next year, Crotty can see plenty of challenges ahead for a squad that has missed the playoffs this season and will be without Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, Tom Taylor, Willi Heinz, Nepo Laulala and Slade next year.
‘‘There’s a lot of new guys coming in and we are losing some special players but I want to keep the Crusaders a successful franchise,’’ Crotty said.
With Robbie Fruean out with a knee injury, Crotty comes back into centre against the Brumbies.
Playing at home, the Brumbies, who are guaranteed a playoff spot, could win the Australian conference if they beat the Crusaders and the Waratahs lose to the Reds.
Captain Kieran Read returns from his head knock, forcing Jordan Taufua back to the bench with Matt Todd retaining the No 6 jersey.
Andy Ellis is back starting at halfback and said finishing an inconsistent season on a high was crucial. ‘‘I really believe that a strong performance is crucial to take into next year but also to fin- ish this year, so we can come away with our heads up,’’ Ellis said.
Ellis lamented his side’s inconsistent efforts this year.
After collecting maximum points against the Hurricanes and Blues in recent weeks, they want to win three consecutive games for the first time this season.
‘‘It would be great for people to be saying: look at the Crusaders, it’s a shame they weren’t in the playoffs they could have been a real chance,’’ Ellis said.
There’s a lot of new guys coming in and we are losing some special players but I want to keep the Crusaders a successful franchise. Ryan Crotty