“Free-flowing, guys expressing themselves, playing with that smile and full speed – moving fast, but usually quite short passing.”
But even armed with an arsenal of attacking weapons as the Crusaders are, the game can often descend into a one-out war of foot-long fights as forward after forward thrusts headfirst towards the try line, each failed attempt somehow renewing the optimism of the next ball carrier. It’s effective – and dull. Like primer paint. Yet too frequently, teams apply it as the try-scoring top coat.
Crusaders assistant coach James Marshall at preseason training in Christchurch. Photo / Supplied
The use of the dreary, ruck-focused battery can be heightened by pressure situations (like knockout matches) and poor weather. The two attacking irritants often go hand-in-hand in this part of the world; Super Rugby Pacific’s showpiece events are held mid-winter. The Crusaders came out as champions, but they submitted to the weather.
“I thought we struggled a little bit when it got wet in terms of the shape that we’re playing,” Marshall says.
“We ended up having to just go to a little bit more traditional, tighter pick-and-go-type style of rugby, which was effective but it’s not really the style that I love us to play or not real proud of that style.”
Inside One NZ Stadium in Christchurch – December 16, 2025.
But the winter of 2026 could be one of great content for fans of fluent footy. As long as the Crusaders play at home – or Dunedin – they’ll encounter no rain, no mud, no wind and no excuse to deprive their blistering backline of the ball.
“The exciting thing about this year is we know our last six games, going well, will be under the roof at that time of year where things start to get a little bit less attractive to play [with width],” Marshall says.
The roof, of course, covers the pitch at the Crusaders’ new inner-city fortress – One NZ Stadium. The perennial champions will call the covered stadium home from late April when they open the new venue with the first match of the Super Round.
I caught up with Marshall in the week after the All Blacks had beaten Ireland in Chicago, a match that surely killed off any remaining interest that America had in rugby union: so stop-start that it made the NFL look fluent. Even then, Marshall was upbeat about the game. Not so much that test, but the game as a whole. That’s just how he operates, looking for positive solutions – and innovation.
“I’ve always loved that side of the game. Like, what else can we do? And a lot of people like to see it done already, which is where I get stuck a little bit because I don’t need it to be. I don’t need to see it being done somewhere else, I know in my head whether it can be done or not.
“But sometimes the hard part of the sell is to try and convince people that this can work when you can’t show anyone that it’s worked or has been done before. So [we’re] always trying to think outside the box. And that’s what I love about Penz [Rob Penney] is he encourages it.”
Crusaders captain David Havili (left) and coach Rob Penney celebrate after winning the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific final against the Chiefs. Photo / Getty Images
2025 was Marshall’s first year holding the Crusaders’ attacking reins. By his own admission, he was conservative in his approach – but not in his thought process.
“You jot down in your book for the following year, knowing that there’s probably too much change to bring in in the season.
“I came in last year and tried to change how we were attacking. I thought the way we were using our edge forwards wasn’t quite as effective as it could have been. We spent a lot of time on that pre-Christmas and I felt like we got good success from it early in the competition when the conditions suited.”
Last season’s thoughts are this season’s plans.
“That’s what I love about the off-season and pre-season is you can really gather those thoughts, brainstorm and put it into a package, which I’m getting around the boys at the moment.”
Crusaders attack coach James Marshall overseeing a training session. Photo / Supplied
Those plans will please fans of 15-man rugby.
“A lot of teams think of the Crusaders as the set-piece, kicking, pressure-cycle-type team. I think where we can really make a point of difference this year is our skillset. Some of our forwards have incredible catch-pass or ability to throw the ball out the back or long balls.
“I still believe we’ve got the best skillset in the comp and we probably haven’t been able to show that as often as I would have liked us to, but now we’ve got no excuses playing under the roof in perfect conditions most weeks. And I think we’ll really get to see that.”
Rugby at the higher levels has become frustratingly formulaic for spectators, but Marshall hopes to see his side move seamlessly between pre-planned and off-the-cuff.
“Playing what they’re seeing. We create the structure to create opportunities, but always the rule is if you see an opportunity, back yourself and take it. A real licence there for guys to back themselves.”
Key to taking Marshall’s ideas to the drawing board, training pitch and then the big stage is buy-in from his key game drivers. Among the most important is arguably the world’s leading fullback.
Brilliant Crusaders fullback Will Jordan on the run for the All Blacks against England at Twickenham. Photo / Brad Roberts
“Will [Jordan] is the most influential player in attack that I’ve worked with. We’ll have a good convo every Sunday before our week leading in, making sure we’re both aligned with what we’re thinking, and he drives it so well for me once we’ve committed to that.
“He always brings in ideas or [is] really quick to give me feedback on whether something’s working or not or whether it needs to come out or adjust a few things and I really trust his rugby IQ.”
Marshall says relationships like his with Jordan are crucial to be able to play the rugby that they plan to.
“When I first came here, it was Scotty Hansen [now All Blacks assistant coach] and Richie Mo’unga. Scotty trusted Richie so much and Richie trusted Scotty to drive it to the team. I think those relationships are important.”
The roof at the new One NZ Stadium at Te Kaha isn’t the only difference in the season ahead.
“There’s going to be subtle rule changes again this year that will potentially fully change how you attack. I hate just doing the same thing again. I always want to try and evolve and adapt.”
Marshall says one critical element hasn’t changed between the seasons.
“Still the number one time to attack is off turnover ball or when you get an average kick. The disconnected D [defence] lines are always the best [to exploit], especially when you’ve got the calibre of backs that we’ve got to be able to just find those mismatches and exploit them.”
How they do that will help determine the narrative for a game that is fighting for eyeballs. If they can do it well – like South Africa are doing on the international stage – they could set the standard for others.
“I think a lot of teams look at the successful side. So if the successful side is playing a style of rugby that’s negative or conservative, then a lot of teams will follow suit with that. So that’s a little bit of a drive for me around wanting to play a really exciting style of rugby. That’s why I’m so excited about the new stadium, which I’ve mentioned about 1000 times,” Marshall says with a laugh.
Inside One NZ Stadium in Christchurch – December 16, 2025.
But he’s deadly serious about the style of rugby that they intend to play in 2026.
“There’s no excuse for us not to, because it’s actually really hard to play exciting positive rugby when you know that’s not what’s not going to win us the finals and those big games [in difficult conditions]. And at the end of the day, it’s all about winning, but I’d love to be able to win by playing a brand that everyone’s just so excited to watch and be proud of.”
Bring on the roof.
Mike Thorpe is a senior multimedia journalist for the Herald, based in Christchurch. He has been a broadcast journalist across television and radio for 20 years and joined the Herald in August 2024.