Rugby: Carter and McCaw sign off from Canterbury in style

Running up 58 points is a fairly emphatic way for a couple of favourite sons to say thank you.

Gratitude was the prevailing feeling for both Richie McCaw and Dan Carter after the Crusaders' thumping of the Reds on Friday night, the pair's final win while wearing red and black in Christchurch.

McCaw is widely expected to retire following the World Cup while Carter is heading to France to join Racing Metro, ending associations with the Canterbury region that spanned more than a decade.

And while the 14,000 supporters packed inside AMI Stadium will likely receive another opportunity to wave goodbye to two of the game's greats, with the All Blacks playing Argentina in Christchurch on July 17, the sentiment of Friday's occasion was clear.

Both McCaw and Carter were treated to highlight reels of their glittering careers after a game that resembled an 80-minute highlight reel, spending an extra hour on the field in front of a crowd reluctant to leave.

And since that crowd has hardly enjoyed a vintage Crusaders campaign, watching a trio of home losses harm the team's playoff chances, it was fitting for the All Black duo to be sent off with fireworks rather than frowns.

"I've always said that the people here in Christchurch have been great supporters over the years and we try to repay them with good performances," McCaw said after his 25-minute cameo off the bench. "Perhaps this year has been a wee bit up and down but they kept turning up. It was nice to put in a good performance to say thanks, really, for all the support."

Carter, instrumental in the rout, echoed the thoughts of his teammate and expressed his appreciation at the timing of such an impressive performance. Having produced four Super Rugby titles during his time in Christchurch, Carter might owe his home crowd little, but he felt a resounding win was overdue.

"It was good to just say thanks for them turning out over the last decade for me," he said. "We owed them one - we haven't been playing that well at home this year so to put in a performance like that in front of them was great."

McCaw and Carter aren't the only Crusaders who were bidding farewell to the fans, with Colin Slade, Tom Taylor and injured halfback Willi Heinz also bound for the departure lounge. The quintet have all been important parts of the sustained spell of success the Crusaders have enjoyed but whether that success stretches to this season remains to be seen.

The Crusaders last failed to make the playoffs in 2001 - the year McCaw made his debut - and the romp over the Reds might be too little, too late. But, after a win that lifted them to seventh on the standings, McCaw was determined to end his Crusaders career on a high.

"There's four games left and we're by no means out of it," he said. "So we've got to keep believing."