Super Rugby's Crusaders consider name change after Christchurch attack

Super Rugby club the Canterbury Crusaders, whose base is not far from Al Noor mosque, are reportedly considering a name change in the wake of the Christchurch terrorist attack.

On Wednesday, the Crusaders 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.

50 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 primarily a series of religious wars sanctioned by the Catholic Church with the aim of reclaiming Jerusalem in the middle ages. The alleged shooter included references to the Crusades in his manifesto and printed the names of historic Christian military leaders on the weapons he used in the attack.

The Crusaders’, who have won nine Super Rugby titles, have a badge featuring a sword-wielding knight with a cross on his chest similar to those worn during the Crusades. Chain-mail-clad knights on horseback also take to the playing field before the club’s home games.

Crusaders Coach, Scott Robertson, said in a video posted this week the club would consult the Muslim community in any future talks on the issue to get the decision right and ensure they “do the right thing”.

When questioned about the issue again on Friday before his team flew to Sydney to recommence their Super Rugby campaign, Robertson insisted the discussion should not be on the table at such a sensitive time.

He stated “if you make a call now, with the way everyone’s feeling, is that the right thing? We don’t think so.

“We will do the right thing at the right time. Do you understand and respect that?”

The club said it understood concerns raised over the Crusaders’ name which for them is “a reflection of the crusading spirit of this community”.

A club statement advised “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.

“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 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.

More than a decade ago, Australasian Leisure Management Publisher Nigel Benton suggested that in this time of religious polarisation, the Crusaders brand was inappropriate.

Speaking in 2008, Benton advised “having a team name of ‘the Crusaders’ is alienating, divisive and just wrong in these times.

“The term ‘the Crusades’ still has incredibly negative connotations in the Middle East and Arab world and, in an historical context, the Crusades of the middle ages were not heroic for Europe but were ultimately unsuccessful and a disaster for the Christian world.”

Benton noted that in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks of 2001, then-US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld referred to “a crusade” before the term was quickly dropped as the USA sought Middle Eastern allies for its Iraq War.

Benton also made the comparison “imagine for a moment if an Arab or Muslim sports team where to call themselves ‘the Jihadis’ - there would be outrage.”

Image: A sword-wielding knight takes to the playing field before a Crusaders home game (top) and the Crusaders' logo (below).