Harding looking forward to performing for Crusaders | Canterbury Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Canterbury

Crusaders newcomer Sam Harding is set to charge into the most important season of his career.

An All Black in 2002, the 24-year-old is rebuilding his career after the Highlanders did not want him this year. Rob Deans, confident he still has plenty to offer, quickly snapped him up.

The framework Harding was in in Dunedin was "not helpful" to him and the Crusaders could offer him an opportunity, said Deans.

"He's got versatility that's useful ? he's played all three loose forward positions ? and he's an impact guy. He offers us an awful lot."

As well as having significant ability, Harding was an intelligent player, and was being given the opportunity to make "significant strides" in the game, said Deans.

Even though he faces tight competition with fellow loose forwards Richie McCaw, Reuben Thorne, Sam Broomhall, Mose Tuiali'i, and Johnny Leo'o for a jersey, Harding was only too pleased to return to Christchurch, where he went to school.

Harding said he usually worked best with a bit of competition.

"Hopefully I can bring something a little bit different to what the other guys bring. And the things I'm not so good at, hopefully I can improve from playing with them.

"If you're going to really want to have a crack at trying to play your best rugby, you might as well do it with the best team!" he said.

Last year and in the previous NPC Harding played most of his football at No.8, but expects to be used primarily as a flanker by the Crusaders.

"It's not too much to change back to being a flanker, and playing eight has taught me a few things as well," he said. "I'm happy to play anywhere in the loose forwards. Seven is a little bit different to eight ? you've got to chase the ball a bit more."

Born in Perth where his English parents lived for a while, Harding grew up on the West Coast until the family moved to Methven when he was 10.

He boarded at Christ's College and played against Leo'o and Aaron Mauger in school rugby and represented Canterbury through the grades up to Canterbury Secondary Schools, before moving to Dunedin to study.

He got a BA there, but plainly his rugby studies in Dunedin did not always proceed smoothly.

His team mates were outstanding guys, said Harding. "Sometimes the front office wasn't run as smoothly as possible, but hopefully they'll get over that and start putting some good results together."

Harding, who signed a two-year contract with Canterbury, played one test (against Fiji) in 2002. He's hungry to achieve more and said the whole environment here was set up to help a player perform.

Meanwhile it's back to school this year. As well as looking forward to another step forward in his football education, he's studying French at Polytechnic.