Kieran Read and Wyatt Crockett have a special relationship. Photo / Getty
In the foreword to the book Wyatt Crockett — CROCZILLA, All Black captain Kieran Read gives some hilarious insights into the Crusaders legend.
I'm sure he wouldn't mind me saying this, but Wyatt Crockett is dead-set the clumsiest guy I have ever met in my life.
He has, without a word of a lie, inadvertently injured more of his teammates than any player in history.
He has dislocated our fingers, broken our toes, fractured our ribs, blackened our eyes and knocked us clean out. Goodness knows what damage he could have done if he ever intended to harm us.
Yes, he is quite possibly the clumsiest fella in the history of New Zealand rugby.
He is also one of the most dedicated, most caring, most compassionate, most loyal and hardest-working men I have ever had the pleasure to call a friend.
And that is what he has been to me since our paths first crossed in Canterbury in 2005: a friend. I was the greenhorn from Counties-Manukau trying to crack it in the big league; he already had a foot in the door with the Crusaders and with Canterbury. When it came to our rugby careers, we both dreamed big.
From the very first time we played together, I could tell Crocky was just one of those guys I could trust with my life.
He believed so much in the power of the team over the individual and made every newcomer feel welcome.
Even though he was still seeking his own place in the pecking order, he knew how intimidating the professional environment could be and as such worked assiduously to ensure the young guys quickly found their feet.
Never one to talk too much or to voice his opinion in team meetings or on the training field, Crocky possesses a perennially enthusiastic disposition that we all love.
Just one look at his big dumb grin puts you in a good mood, especially as he reserves his very biggest, dumbest grins for the times when the joke is on him, which is almost always.
You see, Crocky is a man who just can't help but find himself in the wrong place at the wrong time.
In a career spanning 14 seasons and a record 203 Crusaders appearances, he was embroiled in some form of amusing pickle from which he could not extract himself at least once a week.
For starters, he has absolutely no sense of direction (I wouldn't be surprised if he has got lost in his own home) and his penchant for social faux pas is legendary.
On top of that, he would have to be a starter for most forgetful man in the world. I am amazed he has been able to write this book.
I still remember a time on tour when Crocky arrived at the team dining table looking especially pleased with his rather large bowl of ice cream. It was drowned in what he thought was chocolate sauce. It took him just one spoonful to realise he had ladled the buffet's meat gravy all over his frozen confection.
It's fair to say we loved being around him for moments like that.
There is a lot more to Wyatt Crockett than the laughs, though.
Underpinning everything he does, and has done, is a steely determination to be the best he can be.
He is a man of integrity and discipline, and that is why he has been able to set playing records that might never be broken.
I cannot stress enough just how impressive his playing statistics are.
To play that many Super Rugby games is a staggering achievement and one that has absolutely nothing to do with luck.
He has had his tough times, as he will tell you in this book. For you, and for most of us, it will be the first time we have been able to get a true understanding of just how much the setbacks and the knockbacks took out of him.
Through those tough times he remained incredibly stoic.
Crocky never wanted to let his personal disappointments get in the way of his job for the team. That is one of his most admirable and astonishing qualities.
We played together for a long time, but it seems to have passed in the blink of an eye.
We each got married to a great lady and we both had children.
Crocky was always the guy I sought out for a quiet chat when I was on tour and missing my family or wondering what the hell I was supposed to do as a new father.
He always listened, he always offered good advice, and he always made me feel worthy and better.
We are both emotional guys and in a sport that still wrestles with its macho side, Crocky was the guy you could share a beer with and a tear with.
He leaves one hell of a legacy as a player, but an even greater one as a person.
When you think that only the legendary Keven Mealamu and the late, great Sir Colin Meads sit ahead of him on the all-time first-class appearances list, you get a sense of just what kind of career he has had.
Hopefully, after reading this book you will also appreciate just how much effort that took.
He may be the clumsiest bloke I know, but I don't think my career would have been half as much fun without Croczilla.
He is one of a kind.
We have been lucky to have him in our sport and I am lucky to have him on my side.
Extracted from Wyatt Crockett — CROCZILLA, written with Scotty Stevenson, $39.99 RRP Published by Mower Books. On sale now.
