Another former All Black answers the Crusaders' SOS call

After the fairytale return of John Afoa to Super Rugby in round 14, the Crusaders have called in further veteran leadership to help stay afloat amid their ever-growing injury crisis.

Another replacement was needed after All Black David Havili suffered a hamstring injury that could see him done for the season, so the call was made to club legend Ryan Crotty.

Crotty returned to the Crusaders’ environment for Tuesday’s training, four years after retiring from Super Rugby and heading to Japan’s Kubota Spears.

The Crusaders still have the services of Dallas McLeod and Jack Goodhue to call upon for the No 12 jersey, so Crotty is unlikely to follow in Afoa’s footsteps and be called into the starting XV, or even the reserves.

Still, the experience of 48 Test caps and 150 Super Rugby matches is as fine a supplement as Scott Robertson could ask for when looking to fill the void left by the in-form Havili.

Havili joins fellow All Blacks Joe Moody, Fletcher Newell, George Bower, Cullen Grace and Sevu Reece on the sidelines. At the same time, U20 New Zealand representatives Noah Hotham, Macca Springer and Taha Kemara have all left the team to prepare for their upcoming World Championship campaign in South Africa.

Crusaders assistant coach James Marshall said the team were awaiting results from a scan of Havili’s hamstring, but admitted: “When you’re limping off like that, it didn’t look too positive.”

The Crusaders play the Hurricanes in Wellington on Saturday in the final round of the Super Rugby Pacific regular season, the team can secure their second-place finish with even a bonus point loss.