Fishermen and hairstylists – the alternate egos of Crusaders Bye Week
The Crusaders after bye week are not all that dissimilar to classmates after the holidays.
Our boys weren’t exactly filling their week with sleepovers or trips to Grandmas, but there certainly were some variations in how they occupied their time.
Tom Christie and his girlfriend spent a few nights in Akaroa where, despite their attempts with the rod, the fish remained very safe: “not too many fish got caught,” said Christie.
On the other end of the bye week spectrum, Christian Lio-Willie spent his time refreshing his look, quick to name his hairdresser as our very own Chay Fihaki.
“We were sitting in the kitchen the other day and he thought he’d spruce it up,” Lio-Willie said, the only thing brighter than his blond locks the Christchurch autumn sun.
Watch this space though, the locks aren’t quite finished yet.
“It’s not the final stage, it’s going to go lavender.”
The beard, however, will remain untouched.
Lio-Willie rejoins the team this weekend, back in contention after rehabbing an ankle ligament tear. Ethan Blackadder and Brodie McAllister also return to play this weekend after recovering from injuries.
Not able to keep the boots still, Joe Moody spent his Saturday off playing for his home club. Lincoln Rugby Club were “beyond excited” about having Moody play in their number 1 jersey against Prebbleton.
Christie, who captains the side during their tour of Australia, believes a bye week is beneficial to the team.
“I think the break is really valuable from a player welfare point of view,” Christie said.
“It’s definitely refreshing. Everyone still trains hard and gets their work done, so we can come in on Monday this week raring to go, and everyone’s excited to step back in,”
Reiterating Christie’s thoughts, coach Rob Penney said the team have “freshened up nicely and are excited for another hit out”.
Crusaders take on Waratahs this Friday in Sydney for Round 8 of Super Rugby Pacific.
Kick-off is 9:35pm NZ time.