ROSEMARY ABBOTT | Sport
NEIGH SAYERS
Craig Chamberlain from Shirley Christchurch, has launched what he’s calling a “full-scale, one-man protest” after learning the Crusaders will not allow horses at their new home ground, One NZ Stadium.
The decision, confirmed today due to “limited space” and “basic modern safety standards,” has rocked Chamberlain to his core, with the lifelong fan claiming the move has “completely derailed the emotional integrity of rugby.”
“You take away the horses, you may as well take away the whole bloody team,” Chamberlain fumed.
For more than 30 years, horses circling Lancaster Park and Addington Stadium have been a pre-match staple for diehard Crusaders fans. But with the move to the new indoor One New Zealand Stadium, the Crusaders confirmed the animals would be retired, citing concerns about space, safety, and the general unsuitability of horses for enclosed arenas.
Chamberlain, however, isn’t buying it.
“I didn’t stand in the cold for 30 years at Crusaders games just to end up watching a DJ and some LED lights. Bring back the horses. Go woke, go broke!”
In response, Chamberlain has vowed to personally replace the horses, committing to galloping “endless circles” around the stadium before kickoff with a Crusaders flag.
“If they won’t do it, I will,” he said, adjusting his well worn Crusaders jersey from the mid 1990s. I did four laps of the Riccarton Mall carpark yesterday. Nearly blacked out, but that’s the price of tradition. They got rid of the swords, but for goodness sake, don’t get rid of the horses!”
More to come.
