Hansen sees Crusaders' midfield exodus as chance for young talent to step up

Scott Hansen has called on the Crusaders’ inexperienced midfield group to seize their moment after the 14-time Super Rugby champions lost three senior centres ahead of the 2027 Super Rugby Pacific campaign.

David Havili, Dallas McLeod, and Braydon Ennor have all departed the Christchurch franchise, leaving Hansen with just four specialist midfielders in a 39-man squad announced last week. The new head coach, speaking on Sport Nation, was candid about the situation but framed it as a generational shift rather than a crisis.

“There’s always a time in a franchise where those little cycles come through, and now’s that cycle for us,” Hansen said. “It’s also a massive opportunity for some young guys to grab that.”

The Crusaders moved to bolster their options by signing Corey Evans from the Blues and Northland ahead of the new season. Evans, who impressed during the recent Hilux NPC competition for Northland, will be joined in the midfield by former Highlanders centre Jake Te Hiwi, who Hansen described as an important experienced addition. Tasman’s Cooper Roberts and Canterbury’s Toby Bell are also in the mix, with Hansen speaking highly of both.

“We’ve got some outstanding talent coming through in the Toby Bells,” Hansen said. “Cooper Roberts we feel is going to be an outstanding player in time. If you look at those young ones, they’ve all come through the New Zealand system — they’re all New Zealand 20s boys, so now’s their time to grab their opportunity.”

Leicester Fainga’anuku is listed as a midfielder in the squad but is expected to operate across multiple positions, including outside back and openside flanker, in what Hansen described as a “hybrid” role.

Beyond the personnel changes, Hansen also spoke about the prospect of coaching at Christchurch’s new One New Zealand Stadium for the first time. He expressed enthusiasm for playing a more expansive brand of rugby in the controlled indoor environment, while joking that he had lobbied — unsuccessfully — to have the roof opened for finals matches in June.

“I have asked if the roof at some stage can be open, but it’s a no,” he said. “The stadium offers us a great opportunity to be really consistent in our game plan.”

With a rebuilt midfield and a new home venue, the Crusaders enter 2027 in a period of transition under Hansen, who is tasked with restoring the franchise to the top of the southern hemisphere game.