Notable Players
Six Crusaders have played 100 games or more for the Crusaders: Leon MacDonald, Justin Marshall, Reuben Thorne, Caleb Ralph, Greg Somerville, and most recently, Chris Jack. Half-back Justin Marshall was the first player to achieve the feat, playing for the Crusaders between 1996 and 2005. Both Thorne and Ralph achieved the 100 game mark at the same time; however, Ralph had played nine of his matches for other franchises: three for the Chiefs and six for the Blues. Ralph achieved the "100 Crusaders games" feat later that season; remarkably, they were played consecutively. Greg Somerville became the next player to contribute 100 games for the franchise, achieving this in the 2006 semi-final against the Bulls. The first match of the 2008 season was Leon MacDonald's 100th game, and on 11 March 2011 Chris Jack started against the Brumbies to play his 100th match for the Crusaders. The Crusaders also boast two winners of the IRB International Player of the Year Award: Dan Carter (2005) and Richie McCaw (2006, 2009 and 2010).
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