Dylan Cleaver: Crusaders keep flame alive far from home

Robbie Fruean celebrates scoring against the Waratahs. Photo / Getty Images

Shortly after 7.30pm, the Crusaders, the Waratahs and a packed Trafalgar Park crowd stood in a minute's silence for Crusaders board member Phil McDonald, the other victims of the February 22 Christchurch earthquake and the 29 miners who lost their lives in the Pike River disaster.

It was the culmination of an emotional journey that had brought the "home" team north to Nelson from stricken Christchurch two days earlier.

At 5pm, 2 hours before Crusaders rugby resumed after a two-week break, management and Richie McCaw, complete with cast on his surgically repaired right foot, met representatives from the families of all 29 miners killed in November's Pike River disaster.

The families were presented with a special edition West Coast-Crusaders playing jersey. In the crowd, Graham Henry, so successful with the Blues before his days as All Black coach, stood resplendent in a Crusaders jersey.

It was that sort of night and you could be forgiven for thinking rugby was the last thing on the minds of the players, but coach Todd Blackadder had stressed that wherever possible, the team had to stick to their game-day structures. Easier said than done.

"It's been hard for everyone who lives in Christchurch, who loves Christchurch. It's been really, really tough," said Crusaders chief executive Hamish Riach. "But they're footy players and they want to play now and they need to play to get their own lives back on track."

This was not just a challenge on an emotional level, but a logistical puzzle too. The Crusaders arrived in two aircraft on Thursday, the starting 15 and five management on the first flight, the reserves and the remainder of the back-up staff on the next.

Last night, as soon as was humanly possible after the final whistle, a charter plane returned the players to their families in Christchurch.

It was not just humans. Four Crusader horses, so used to cantering around the damaged AMI Stadium, were brought up in floats to keep the tradition alive. "We wanted to make it as much of a Crusaders game as possible," Riach said.

More than 1000 temporary seats were put in at the city end of the ground to try to house as many spectators, both locals and those who made the trek north, as possible. A "normal" Crusaders game attracts about 10 media. This time there were 30, plus crews from Australian networks including Channel Nine, Seven and the ABC.

As difficult as it was, the game had to be kept in perspective. It went no way towards rebuilding houses, repairing roads or returning loved ones missing in the disaster. For 80 minutes, however, Cantabrians got a distraction from an otherwise grim reality.

"Just seeing them out there will be really helpful," Riach said.

This was sport, but it was also business - the show must go on. Next week Nelson welcomes the Brumbies, before the Crusaders make a short jaunt south for a derby against the Highlanders.

What happens after that is yet to be determined.

In successive weeks they host the Sharks and the Bulls. Both games were scheduled for AMI Stadium.

Riach said a March 15 reassessment would determine if it was possible to return "home", which was far more optimistic than initial suggestions that there was no chance it would be ready again this season.

It's still a long shot, however, and Riach said they were investigating all contingencies, including offers from London, Sydney, Auckland and elsewhere.

Timaru will be used if possible later in the year, but Riach said there had to be a balance struck between community and cash.