Last week the suspicions of many Crusaders and Zac Guildford fans proved to be true. After seeing no game time at all in Super Rugby in 2014, it was announced that Guildford and the Crusaders had parted ways.
It was announced early on in the Super Rugby season that Guildford has signed a contract with French club Clermont, but that Guildford was looking forward to putting in a good final season with the Crusaders.
I was present for what was Guildford’s last game in Crusaders colours, a pre-season match versus the Hurricanes in Levin on Valentine’s Day. I thought he looked excited to be back on the field and seemed to be in great physical condition, to the point I told my wife ‘Zac is going to have one hell of a season’.
Turns out I was right – Guildford HAS had a hell of a season, only not in a positive context.
After two or three games, Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder commented that Guildford hadn’t been chosen for the game day 23 until that point, because of ‘performance issues’. That surprised me, but I believed Guildford would be back and that he would make a valuable contribution to the team, as he has since his first game for the franchise back in 2010.
Rounds flew by and the only time Guildford was seen in Crusaders colours was the odd training photo. He failed to even make the Crusaders bench, and after six or seven rounds fans were starting to ask for answers, however not a single word was said about the matter.
Even more questions were asked when Guildford was released to play for his Napier Tech club side, and when the extent of his rugby in Christchurch was playing club rugby for Marist-Albion. By all accounts he has played exceptionally well in his outings for his two clubs, leaving a lot of spectators scratching their heads, wondering why he hasn’t been playing in the red and black of the Crusaders.
Speculation was rife about the possibility Guildford had had another ‘off field incident’, it’s unfair, but not surprising given his very public battle with alcoholism.
The only official word on the split is that “the Crusaders feel let down after they tossed him a lifeline by extending his contract through to the end of this season, while Guildford has been peeved by their refusal to select him” (The Press, May 2014). I get the feeling that this is the most the public is ever going to know about what happened to cause the split. It is sad to see the New Zealand playing career of such a promising, talented player ending so abruptly.
While Guildford has been in the press for a lot of the wrong reasons, he has also accomplished a lot in his playing career. In 2008 and 2009 Guildford won gold with the Junior All Blacks at the IRB Junior World Championships, a year later he was part of the gold-medal winning All Blacks Sevens team at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. Guildford was also part of the All Blacks squad which succeeded in winning the Rugby World Cup in 2011, his four tries against Canada one of the most memorable moments of the tournament.
Guildford’s last game for the All Blacks was in Christchurch, against Ireland in 2012. He pulled on the black jersey two more times, seeing out the 2013 season as part of the Maori All Blacks squad on their tour of Canada and the USA. The Maori All Blacks played and won two games with Guildford taking part in both games, even adding to his tally of tries scored against Canada.
Guildford has had a lot of success at national level, but has also at provincial level. As well as taking great pride in playing for his Napier Tech club side, Guildford has been a huge part of the Hawke’s Bay provincial team – the Magpies. In 2013 Guildford played a pivotal role in the club’s victory over Otago, a victory which saw them lifting the Ranfurly Shield, one of the most prized possessions in New Zealand rugby. Not only did they win the Ranfurly Shield in 2013, they also played in the championship final of the ITM Cup, missing out on the win in the dying minutes of the game.
With the announcement that Guildford and the Crusaders have parted ways, two thoughts immediately came to me.
- It is sad that Guildford has spent the best part of six months in Christchurch without seeing any (Super Rugby) game time. With the knowledge he is leaving for France in the near future, it is disappointing that he wasn’t able to spend more time with his friends and family in Napier, making the most of the time he has before he leaves.
- Because the Crusaders offered Guildford a contract for the 2014 Super Rugby season, there is a player in New Zealand who missed out on the opportunity to begin his own Super Rugby career. If the intent was to not give Guildford any game time, what was the point in wasting his time, the franchise’s time, but also making another up-and-coming player miss out on valuable Super Rugby experience?
In the end only Guildford and those associated with the Crusaders really know what has gone on behind the scenes of this little saga. Whatever did happen, it sounds as if a split was probably in the best interests of both sides.
I hope that in the time he has left in New Zealand, Guildford is left alone to concentrate on himself and his family, and to prepare for the next stage of his rugby journey.
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