Nathan Sharpe: It's hard not to admire Crusaders

NATHAN SHARPE, The West Australian April 21, 2010, 7:25 am

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On Friday night we get the opportunity to test ourselves against another top-four team in the Crusaders.
They have long been the benchmark in Super Rugby, as a club and as a team, and have produced a consistency that most clubs around the world could only dream about.
My first encounter against the men in red and black from Canterbury, way back in 1999, will always stand out for me, not only because the knights who ride around the field on horses in the pre-game entertainment nearly bowled me over as I ran out, but the sense of tradition surrounding the province is special.
It just smells of rugby.
The history between the Western Force and the Crusaders has taken a tremendous ride.
We were taught a lesson a few years ago in Christchurch but with two drawn matches in our four encounters it is obvious the Force love rising to the challenge that the Crusaders present.
This weekend could not come soon enough for us and the hard lessons learnt last Saturday against the Blues are fresh in our minds.
Disappointment was evident on the face of every team member as the realisation we had produced our worst performance in five weeks sunk in. As always, the courage of the team could not be questioned but the execution is where we need to improve - and we will.
I often tell people that being in a professional team environment tends to institutionalise players into a certain way of life.
Our world revolves around 40 other people on the same schedule in what would be unrealistic outside a sporting environment. It is hard to imagine life any other way, unregimented to a certain extent, no intense match build-up, performance reviews every week and being away for long stretches.
However, some players are well prepared to excel in their life after rugby.
Chris O'Young's retirement from Super Rugby at the end of the season will leave a hole in the squad. He is a great player and a terrific person.
However, we needn't worry about the next chapter of his life because there is no doubt he'll make the transition to working full-time outside rugby.
He has been working part-time with KPMG for several years and the flexible support they have given him is not lost on him or his teammates.
Chris O has been a huge contributor to the team, both on and off the field, playing some of his best rugby this year. He will be sorely missed when he hangs up the boots.
Friday night's match is our final chance to play in front of our home crowd this season and we're determined to make it a memorable one. The season seems to have gone so quickly and we all want to leave our members and supporters with something to cheer about.


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