Overlooked Thorne not bitter | Canterbury Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Canterbury

Losing the Crusaders captaincy hasn't diminished Reuben Thorne's enthusiasm for the new season.

All Blacks captain-in-waiting Richard McCaw has been named Crusaders captain in place of Thorne, who led the side to the last three Super 12 finals.

Thorne pledged his support to the new skipper. "Richie is an outstanding young player and a natural leader," said Thorne.

"I know the coaches have been thinking about Richie for a while, so it wasn't a surprise when he was named."

Thorne said it was not an issue with him and he would support McCaw every way he could.

"There's a lot of leadership right through this Crusaders team," he said. "Richie is obviously someone they are looking at for the long term. He did a great job during the NPC and obviously has All Black experience, too."

Thorne said he was personally really looking forward to the season ? "we've got some new faces and some old ones like Leon (MacDonald) returning which is great."