1
Ex-Crusaders recruit now the fittest forward at the Hurricanes
By Adam Julian
Zach Gallagher is the fittest forward in the Hurricanes. The 23-year-old lock topped all comers in the demanding Bronco run and the former Crusader can’t wait to bring some of that vigour against his former teammates in the Super Rugby Pacific opener in Christchurch on Friday night.
Gallagher played 19 games (14 wins) for the Crusades between 2022 and 2024. In the first two seasons titles were secured before a miserable ninth place in 2024.
“I loved my time at the Crusaders and learned so much from some of the best, but it felt like the right time for a challenge and to throw myself into a new environment and a new way of looking at the game,” Gallagher said.
“The Hurricanes are an exciting group of lads; explosive, athletic ball carriers with exceptional skills. That means the rugby tends to be a bit more unstructured and free-flowing, but we will be competitive in the set piece too with guys like Tyrel Lomax and Pasilio Tosi. I guess my job is to bolster the set piece and do some of the less flashy stuff.
“I’ve been given a bit of stick for coming up here, but my dad’s side of the family are all Wellingtonians and so when I was down south it was the opposite with them struggling to support the Crusaders.
“I’m living with my Nana up here and I’ve got quite a few relatives so it’s been nice to connect with them and spend a bit more time with that side of the family.”
One of his uncles is former All Blacks fullback and Wellington’s all-time leading points scorer Alan Hewson (108 games, 896 points, 79 wins). Hewson was renowned for rilling up Cantabrians.
“We were yarning about that the other day about how my family would be split going to Lancaster Park. Canterbury had Robbie Deans at that time and he was pretty legendary. It’s amazing how much hate got thrown around..”
Gallagher was so popular at Christ’s College that he was appointed the head prefect of the prestigious private school in 2019. A year earlier, he had helped the First XV to a share of the Crusaders championship, partnering future All Black and Blues Super Rugby champion Sam Darry at lock.
“Being head boy at Christ’s taught me a lot, which I can apply to rugby. I became a more confident public speaker and a better listener,” Gallagher said.
“Leading people from different backgrounds, cultures and religions to create an environment where they can be comfortable and succeed was another lesson that can be applied to a rugby team.
“I didn’t play much rugby in my first couple of years at Christ’s. I was into rowing and managed to medal a few times at the Maadi Cup.
“In Year 11 I suffered a compound fracture of my forearm where two bones burst through the skin.
“It’s pretty cool to think that in Year 9 we lost to Christchurch Boys 80-0 and came back to beat them a couple of years later.”
With lessons of leadership in mind why couldn’t the Crusaders win an eighth consecutive title last year?
“Everything changed from the coaches, senior leadership group, and even the team doctors, and analysts. When we struggled to get momentum early on we realised replacing years of experience doesn’t happen overnight. Some guys stepped up and in some games, we were competitive but across the board, we, weren’t good enough,” Gallagher responded.
The Blues usurped the Crusaders as Super Rugby’s best team in 2024 but were beaten 31-19 in a preseason fixture by the Hurricanes on February 7.
“The Blues are the ultimate power team, big ball carriers who play off nine in an old-school European way. How do you stop them? You have to meet fire with fire in the contact areas and then run them around a bit.
“We’ve spent a lot of time training long sets; ball in play for a long time with a lot of movement. I guess that’s where Clark Laidlaw’s sevens background helps.”
The Crusaders lead the Hurricanes 28-15 with two draws in Super Rugby history. The Hurricanes won the 2024 match in Christchurch 14-10. Ironically Hurricanes lock Justin Sangster scored the winning try.
ADVERTISEMENT
News, stats, live rugby and more! Download the new RugbyPass app on the App Store (iOS) and Google Play (Android) now!
Nice article on Zach Gallagher. A really good fellow. But I will be there supporting the Crusaders on Friday. It will be strange seeing him in the opposition. The year, ( 2019), was Head Boy at Christ's College his former Crusaders and current Canterbury team mate Dominic Gardiner was Head Boy at St Bedes College. He is unavailable at the moment due to injury. His Dad Angus Gardiner played a big role in the Crusaders first two title winning teams in 1998 and 1999. Funny how Allan Hewson is Zach's Uncle. He had a great rivalry, ( which Zach mentions), with Canterbury legend Robbie Deans in the 1980's. I was very much in Robbie's camp of course. I remember being at the epic 1983 Ranfurly Shield game here , when we defeated Wellington in what was a titanic match. Robbie Deans levelled the score up with a massive 60 metre penalty. Canterbury captain Don Hayes scored the winning try. Huge crowd at Lancaster Park.