Back to the Coaches Corner
The Crusaders and their success
If you head down to Rugby Park in Christchurch you will see the old Rugby Park and the new Rugby Park. The old Rugby Park is a somewhat battered and dilapidated building with a spectator stand facing the field, a number of rooms underneath including change rooms and a small gym area. Above and to the left are a series of small rooms that were used as offices. This building was where 7 Super Rugby titles were won. It is rough, old, small and rather impractical for a professional organisation, hence the inclusion now of the new facility. But it is in the old area that the Crusader legends worked: Dan Carter, Richie McCaw, Reuben Thorne, Brad Thorne, Leon McDonald and many more. This is where 7 titles emerged.
We know that it is not equipment and facilities that make champions. The biggest concern for coaches is most often mental toughness. It is mental toughness in their players, because equipment aside, mental toughness is the elusive ingredient that’s required in the mix of skills to take the top position on any league tables. And this is something the Crusaders have in spades.
