Brad Mooar - Assistant Coach for the Crusaders
It was a grand occasion. Not only did our club turn out in force but we also had a good number from Bishopdale-Burnside Rotary Club. In all over 70 of us sat down for dinner.
Even better Brad bought his family with him and the two young boys filled the role of cup polishers. Because in the centre of the room was the trophy that the Crusaders had won so spectacularly at Ellis Park in Jo’burg. They were the first rugby team to win a final away from home.
Everyone, even those of us for whom rugby is merely a passing interest were keen to learn the secret of their success. Many were also keen to handle the cup, which I recognised was very heavy and not all that aesthetically pleasing. When I touched it, they kept a hand on it in case I dropped it when I took the weight.
Brad who has been both a rugby player and now a coach had plenty to tell us.
Brad’s rugby career was played in the shadow of Andrew Mehrtens which meant that he did not always get the game time he hoped for. So instead he completed his law degree and practised for a few years before he took up the challenge of coaching. He said, ‘It was a heck of a ride to leave a law practice and follow my dream of coaching rugby.’ But in 2012 he got his first opportunity to coach in South Africa. He returned after a year to pick up a coaching job with Canterbury rugby and from there he moved to the Crusaders.
For Brad the real thrill in coaching rugby is to watch young men develop not only their skills in the game but also their own personality and a wider range of abilities.
He said that their main job as a team is to win the conference because that gives them the chance to win the final crown. One of the ways that the Crusaders do that is to have a succession plan. They have their main contract players of 32, but to this the Crusaders add an extra six draft contract players. The idea is that they form a succession so that when the top players move on there is always someone to fill their spot. Also, some of the long-term members of the team like Franks and Moody need a break from the game and so the succession players can be included in the main game and given their chance.
Another significant change has been the appointment of Sam Whitelock as the Crusader captain. This means that Kieran Reid who is the All Black captain plays behind him but is there to lead and help behind Sam.
The players and coaches all have a theme – we- me. This is quite simple. Each member of the team thinks what they can contribute to the We – the team – and the We in total thinks what they can give to each individual - Me.
Realising that when the Hurricanes were defeated that the Crusaders would have to travel to South Africa for the final was an important moment. They made sure that the team as a whole had a week in South Africa to adjust. This gave them a chance to create confidence that as a team they could win. Crucial for the team morale was the support from home. Apparently the dressing room was plastered with messages of support. Brad suggested that in many ways the team victory was a result of the team believing in themselves and of the wide ranging support in Christchurch for the team.
One of the ways that the team prepares for games is to use the brullers – these are the extra players of the 38-man squad. They are trained to the level where they can challenge the front-line players and give them a good game. They provide the necessary pressure for the Crusaders.
Brad is responsible for coaching the half- back and no 10 and 11, but he stressed that he is part of a team and that Crusader success is a result of a team effort.
Jenny Haworth
Unfortunately, the night was just a bit too long for Brad's son.