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Former All Blacks captain Todd Blackadder has been appointed coach of the current Super 14 rugby champions, New Zealand's Canterbury Crusaders.

Blackadder, a member of the inaugural Crusaders side in 1996, replaces Robbie Deans (pictured) who left at the end of the 2008 Super 14 season to take over the Australian national team.

Blackadder's two assistant coaches will be former Crusaders and All Blacks' players Mark Hammett and Daryl Gibson, the New Zealand Rugby Union said in a statement on Wednesday.

"I have a passionate desire to keep the Crusaders at the pinnacle of world rugby, to build on the legacy of the past," Blackadder said.

Blackadder was captain of the Crusaders until 2001, leading them to three Super rugby titles before moving to Britain.

A versatile player who played mostly as a lock, but also as a loose forward, Blackadder played 25 times for the All Blacks, including 14 games as captain.

He led the All Blacks in 10 tests, all during 2000, and notched seven victories.

Blackadder moved to Scotland, and after a brief playing career he switched to coaching, as assistant coach of the national side and head coach of Edinburgh.

He returned to New Zealand in 2006 to become provincial side Tasman's director of rugby, before taking on a technical advisory role with the Crusaders in 2007.

Hammett, currently a technical advisor to the Crusaders, and Gibson, who is coaching in Scotland, were team mates of Blackadder in the All Blacks and Crusaders.

SportingLife / Eurosport