Crusaders’ first home playoff at One NZ Stadium caps dream birthday for boss Colin Mansbridge
Sunday, 31 May 2026
Crusaders chief executive Colin Mansbridge could not have scripted a better birthday if he tried.
Mansbridge celebrated his 64th birthday on Saturday and got the perfect gift late in the day.
With the Crusaders needing the Chiefs to do them a favour to clinch a first home playoff at their shiny new One New Zealand Stadium, Mansbridge got his wish.
The Chiefs’ 59-34 thumping of the out of sorts Blues on Saturday night meant the Crusaders locked in third place and a home qualifying final against Vern Cotter’s Blues on Saturday in Christchurch (4.35pm kick off). On Friday night, the Crusaders moved into third on the ladder after overpowering the understrength top seeded Hurricanes 47-14 to move to 4-0 at their new central city home.
After years of low yields from playoff games at their former Apollo Projects Stadium in Addington (the smallest and lowest yielding among New Zealand teams), a home finals game was music to Mansbridge’s ears.
A home playoff game in front of a 25,000 sell out at One New Zealand Stadium could net the Crusaders a profit of between $400-500,000, Mansbridge said.
At Apollo Projects Stadium, a sell out at the 17,400 capacity venue resulted in about $350,000 for the Crusaders.
“It was my birthday [on Saturday] and it was the best birthday present you could have, wasn’t it?”, Mansbridge said.
“For me personally it was a stunning birthday. I couldn’t have asked for any better.”
Super Rugby Pacific teams did not budget for home finals games, so any extra fixtures for the Crusaders were a welcome bonus financially.
The Super Rugby Pacific competition covered flights and accommodation for away teams in the finals, but the Crusaders would have to pay a visiting match team fee for the Blues.
“This particular one is unbudgeted, so it’s really, really helpful for the club. We’ve probably been on the smell of an oily rag for the last few years, so this will put a bit of money back in the coffers and just makes it a lot more stable than what it has been.”
Crusaders’ members pre-sale tickets went on sale at 5pm on Sunday with general public ticket sales from Tuesday at 10am.
Mansbridge ran into Crusaders captain David Havili on Sunday morning and quipped they had both received about 20 phone calls for tickets for the playoff already.
“To be playing any finals at home is pretty special. To play them in the new place, it’s a once in a lifetime type of opportunity isn’t it?”
To think the Crusaders’ hopes of a hosting a home playoff looked dead in the water after their winless trip to Australia in April when they lost to the Reds and Force.
Since then, the red-and-blacks have mostly looked a different team.
They have won four of their last five games, including three straight victories over Kiwi opposition in Christchurch.
The Blues will have it all in front of them on Saturday with the Crusaders putting their remarkable 32-0 record in home playoff matches on the line.
Christchurch has been the stuff of horror films for the Blues for the majority of Super Rugby. Wins in the Garden City have been few and far between. The Blues have won just once in their past 21 games in Christchurch since 2006.
Their last triumph there came in 2022 when they snapped an 18-year drought, winning 27-23 in a game Crusaders lock Scott Barrett was sent off in after clobbering former Crusader Alex Hodgman high with a shoulder.
The Crusaders are sweating on a knee injury to All Blacks tighthead prop Fletcher Newell, who left the field in the 30th minute against the Hurricanes and did not return. Newell’s replacement at tighthead, Seb Calder, also did not finish the game, exiting with a calf issue.
Should Newell be sidelined for the qualifying final, or the rest of the finals, it would be a crushing blow for a Crusaders side, also without big guns, prop Tamaiti Williams (discitis in spine), fullback Will Jordan (calf), and Barrett (back surgery) for the season.
Newell was scheduled for scans on his injured knee on Sunday.