Team Naming Ennor to Return v Force

12 Mar 2025

The Crusaders squad of 23 sees five fresh faces in the mix for the Force this Saturday March 15 at Apollo Projects Stadium for another afternoon game at 4.35pm.

The forwards have two changes – with Corey Kellow named to start at blindside and Tom Christie at openside – a name that Head Coach Rob Penney is looking forward to having back on the team sheet.

“Tom’s been a part of the Crusaders through a magnificent run of championship winning series and he epitomises a Crusader man’s values and with his work ethic,” says Penney.

The remainder of the forward pack remains unchanged – with the front row consisting of Tamaiti Williams, Codie Taylor and Fletcher Newell.

Scott Barrett and Antonio Shalfoon will be paired at lock while Christian Lio-Willie will retain the number 8 jersey.

There are two changes to the backs this week; Macca Springer will start on the left wing, with Braydon Ennor making a long-awaited return at centre.

“We are very fortunate with the calibre of the backs that we have here, and Braydon is just another piece to the puzzle, he’s got some unique abilities which will be awesome for us this week,” says Penney.

Captain David Havili will support Ennor inside at centre, while Kyle Preston and Taha Kemara remain at 9 and 10.

Sevu Reece will jump over to the right wing, with Will Jordan supporting from the fullback position – both will hope to repeat last week’s standout performance with two tries each against the Reds.

Penney says Super Rugby Pacific is much faster this season, which has contributed to higher fatigue on defence.

“Ball in play is consistently higher, it’s an awesome spectacle – Super Rugby Pacific has been wonderful this year, but the fatigue factor is massive. Listening to the All Blacks coming back in – they're all commenting on how tough it is,”

“The outcome of that has caused fatigue which causes more opportunities for attack.”

The team have reflected on the Reds game and know what they have to focus on this week.

“Going back to some bread-and-butter aspects around our defence – we need to continue to grow that, and some fineries around our attack – getting people in the right spots – that was the vulnerabilities we saw last week and hopefully we’ll see some growth in those areas this week.”

Crusaders team to face the Force: