An injury replacement for the inaugural Crusade, Deon Muir is better known for his career with Waikato, where he led the province with distinction and appeared in 101 matches. The hard driving No 8, who made his Crusaders debut replacing Norm Maxwell at Ballymore, was considered unlucky by many in his home province never to have made the All Blacks. Muir did captain the New Zealand Maori side on tours to Scotland in 1998, and Australia in 2001 and 2002, featuring in 16 matches for that side between 1996 and 2002. He also led the Chiefs to their then highest Super 12 finish, of sixth in 2001, winding up his career with 33 appearances for the North Island franchise. A product of the Te Awamutu Sports Club, Muir departed New Zealand after the 2002 season to further his career in Japan.