Depth is the key word for Crusaders coach Scott Robertson, who knows his team will have to dig deeper than ever, if they want to win their fifth straight Super Rugby title.
All five Kiwi franchises have named their squads for the 2021 season, with the Crusaders naming four new players in Tamaiti Williams, Isaiah Punivai, Chay Fihaki and Fletcher Newell.
But the squad also features the likes of injured All Blacks backline duo Braydon Ennor and George Bridge, along with Fijian Manasa Mataele, who are all expected to miss significant game time during Super Rugby Aotearoa.
Ennor will miss the entire Super Rugby Aotearoa campaign, after injuring his knee in the North v South game, while Bridge and Mataele will miss half the season with chest injuries.
Robertson will need to switch some players around, but he's more than confident the depth of his squad will be able to carry them through the season.
"We're lucky we've got some great depth that can come in," he insists. "It will give other guys opportunities.
“We have got a lot of guys that can play multiple positions, like Dave Havili and Leicester Fainga'anuku.
"To win championships, you need depth. With Georgie out, Leicester comes in - there is great competition in all positions.
"There's a young [midfielder] Dallas McLeod, who is a year better as well. Depth of our squad is so important.
"They can just come in, and be their best selves and trust themselves."
Depth issues aren’t anything new for the Crusaders. Last year, they won the Super Rugby Aotearoa title without captain Scott Barrett, while Havilli and Ethan Blackadder were sidelined for the second half of the season.
Meanwhile, Robertson is working through an extension to his NZ Rugby contract, which expires at the end of next year.
He also reveals talks are underway with the British & Irish Lions, over traveling with the team to South Africa in a bid to gain more coaching experience.
Robertson missed out on the All Blacks job - which went to Ian Foster - with his lack of international experience cited as a contributing factor.
"We've had some good conversations the last couple of weeks around the opportunity," says Robertson. "I'm looking at potentially being involved with the team that could play against the Springboks and then stay on in some capacity.
"It wasn't an assistant role I was wanting - it was a learning opportunity for me [to] help a lot around the professional development and support their current coaching group.
“It wasn't about being an assistant as such. Those conversations are continuing… it's a highly likely chance, I'm finding ways I can get there."
Most of the Crusaders squad will report for pre-season training in early January, with the All Blacks arriving the second week of February and available to play one half of the team’s second pre-season game, a week before the start of Super Rugby Aotearoa.
