It is a testimony to how much Aaron Flynn offered the Crusaders, that he could replace established All Black halfback Justin Marshall early on in the 1998 campaign, and the transition failed to provide any disruption to the team’s march to a first ever Super 12 title. The younger brother of former Canterbury centre Kieran Flynn, who played 19 games for the province, Aaron played four matches in his freshman year, but then stepped into Marshall’s boots for the remaining 11 matches of the glorious 1998 Crusade. The Sydenham halfback, who was on the bench in the 1999 all South Island final at Carisbrook, also numbered 53 games for Canterbury during his career, and remains actively involved with his club. The Flynn brothers are uncles of the 2006 Canterbury Air New Zealand Cup skipper, Corey Flynn, while another of their brothers, Robbie Flynn, represented the United States.