Thorne was always one of those players that got in and did the work - a lot of it went unseen, hence the nickname "the invisible man" ... they probably are putting him on the bench because he is known/respected by the Crusaders players, and for his leadership as much as anything.
... "It's good to see Ellis is out for a lengthy period though" - Really? ... I'm not his biggest fan either, but he has been doing the job for the Crusaders, and it's never good to see an experienced player out, Kahn's a high quality player, but what's the new bench player covering the half back spot like? ... also, doesn't that make two out of the four All Black half backs from last year currently out with injury?