A lot of times in life you seem to come up against a brick wall that seems to be impenetrable. No matter how hard you push you can’t seem to break through.
This is how some players must feel when they can’t cement a permanent playing spot in their franchise.
With Super Rugby wrapped up for 2024, the selection meetings and planning for 2025 squads are now under way.
There will be plenty of players locked-in already for most franchises, but the fine balance of keeping promising players within the group is always a challenge.
As a player, how long do you keep trying to break down that wall. If you are ranked fourth or fifth on the depth chart, how do you become part of the match-day 23 if you can’t get game time.
While I was part of the NZ under-20s selection panel, there where times when we couldn’t always agree. Though we had player stats, footage and watched live games, it still came down to opinion.
If a player can’t get through the wall, then the only other option is to go round it.
There have been many players who have had to take that sideways path from the Crusaders region. The likes of Sam Darry, who was part of the Crusaders set up (but behind a well-established locking group), decided to head to the Blues where he’s a permanent fixture.
Brett Cameron is another who seemed to get no traction or consistent game time. Cameron’s sideways decision was to head to Japan where he got some confidence and form back – then to NPC at Manawatu, where he was picked up by the Hurricanes and finished out 2024 as their starting No 10. Rameka Pohipi is another Canterbury player who is now a constant pick in the Chiefs.
The latest is young up-and-comer Zach Gallagher who has come through from being a junior at Burnside to making his debut for the Crusaders in 2022. He will now try to ignite his career with the Hurricanes from 2025.
The downside to creating and developing quality depth is you can’t keep them all, and there is only so much money – and game time to keep everyone satisfied.
One person who changed his direction successfully is Ethan Roots. Originally picked up by the Crusaders from North Harbour, he ended up having just one appearance in 2020 and could see no way forward in a stacked forward pack.
Roots took the biggest sideways path of all and headed first to Ospreys and then to Exeter in England. He had a storming couple of seasons and got noticed by the national coaching and selection group.
Now he is headed back to NZ, not to play Super Rugby but as part of England’s touring team and is set to play against the ABs, who are now under his former Super Rugby coach. He’s gone from doing the haka as a Māori All Black in 2020 to facing the haka in 2024.
There are many more from the Crusaders region not mentioned, and there will be many more in the future, but those players are a good example that sometimes heading elsewhere to get another opinion can prove beneficial and open other doors.
• The passing of Connor Garden-Bachop and Shayne Philpott has been met with great sadness. Both were top guys. I knew Connor through his time playing at Lincoln University. He had a personality that brightened any room he entered and an infectious smile that made it a joy to have him around. Shayne was a Burnside man and it was always good to catch up with him. Thoughts with their family and friends.
• Sisson is a former player, Lincoln, Lincoln University and representative coach and New Zealand age group selector
