A former New Zealand Schools and Under-21 representative, Jonathan Poff made a successful introduction to the Air New Zealand Cup arena during Tasman’s foundation season in 2006. The former St Bede’s College student was also a member of the Crusaders squad for the 2007 campaign but did not experience any game time during the competition due to a knee injury. Poff is a tough player who is a very effective forager for the ball. He played his first game for the Crusaders off the bench in the tight victory over the Stormers at AMI Stadium in 2009 and got his first start in the crunch match over the Lions in Johannesburg after Richie McCaw was ruled out with a concussion. Poff, who flew to South Africa as a late replacement for the injured George Whitelock, impressed considering his lack of game time and the fact the game was played at altitude. Poff scored his first try for the Crusaders in his first start of 2010 - against the Lions at AMI Stadium.