THE FICKLE Hand of Fate

10: THE DAY THE EARTH MOVED

In February, 2011, Christchurch was devastated by a major earthquake. The quake measured 6.2 and it destroyed buildings all over the city and beyond. It also took the lives of 148 people.

It was a terrible and harrowing event that left people's lives and properties in ruins. The quake happened on a Tuesday and the Crusaders were due to play the Hurricanes in Wellington on the Saturday.

But the decision was made to cancel the game to allow the Crusaders players time to work with their respective families and communities to assess the damage they had incurred and help clean-up some of the worst aspects.

More games would have been cancelled because the Crusaders' stadium was damaged and rendered unsafe by the quake, so they had to find new venues in which they could play.

That saw them host 'home' games in Napier, Wellington, Timaru, Nelson and London. They