What position did you play?
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As a little kid, I started at halfback because I was the smallest player in the team. A few years later, I was the first to get a growth spurt and managed to convince the coach to move me to the outside backs, because I had quite a bit of pace and I didn't like playing at halfback. I mostly played at fullback, but also on the wing.
Then we moved to the Netherlands and there was no rugby club to find in our area at the time, so I played football, mostly as a striker. I also did a fair bit of ice speed skating in Winter and swimming and road cycling in Summer.
When I was 16, we moved to France, where I started playing rugby again, mostly at fullback or first five. I moved back to the Netherlands to go to Uni, played rugby (fullback & first five) and sevens, even got some interest from national coaches and ... then I made the mistake of going on holiday to England.
In England, an idiot thought it was a good idea to ignore a red light, hit me with his car while I was crossing a street and I ended up in hospital with multiple broken bones, a skull fracture and spinal damage. That took a long time to heal, and I tried getting back into rugby a few years later, but other health problems forced me to abandon rugby completely and take up non-contact sports (which I still do back in NZ).
@Stargazer Jesus Christ.
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I played one game at 8 for Prem reserves as a warm up back into prems after an injury. I loved it. Halfback was real Angy at me as I kept on 'pick and go-ing'
Rest of time was at lock/halfback/wing
@Hooroo said in What position did you play?:
I played one game at 8 for Prem reserves as a warm up back into prems after an injury. I loved it. Halfback was real Angy at me as I kept on 'pick and go-ing'
Rest of time was at lock/halfback/wing
Natural movement of positions!
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Funny that this thread comes up, and Facebook reminds me it's 9 years today since I played my last competitive game
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Funny that this thread comes up, and Facebook reminds me it's 9 years today since I played my last competitive game
@mariner4life said in What position did you play?:
Funny that this thread comes up, and Facebook reminds me it's 9 years today since I played my last competitive game
Definitely in the 'back in my day' category then
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@mariner4life said in What position did you play?:
Funny that this thread comes up, and Facebook reminds me it's 9 years today since I played my last competitive game
Definitely in the 'back in my day' category then
@Crucial said in What position did you play?:
@mariner4life said in What position did you play?:
Funny that this thread comes up, and Facebook reminds me it's 9 years today since I played my last competitive game
Definitely in the 'back in my day' category then
Definitely
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@Snowy said in What position did you play?:
Didn't like lock much and still enjoyed more running ball in hand so moved myself to 8 when they made me captain. Complete abuse of power.
I always wanted to be an 8.
And I could have been good too, aside from the lack of athleticism, speed, ball skills and mongrel.
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Funny that this thread comes up, and Facebook reminds me it's 9 years today since I played my last competitive game
@mariner4life until I killed off FB I was always tempted to join the golden oldies crew that a lot of my ex team mates are in. But then I think about how much I enjoy not being injured and getting match fit... pffft ain't nobody got time for that. Still get a surge of adrenaline watching rugby and league though - especially for a big hit or a sick play.
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@mariner4life until I killed off FB I was always tempted to join the golden oldies crew that a lot of my ex team mates are in. But then I think about how much I enjoy not being injured and getting match fit... pffft ain't nobody got time for that. Still get a surge of adrenaline watching rugby and league though - especially for a big hit or a sick play.
@Paekakboyz I just play over 40s touch.
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@Paekakboyz I just play over 40s touch.
@mariner4life more than 40 seconds of touching!! Fucking stud!
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@Magic65 said in What position did you play?:
@nzzp had to be a TH with that pic
Olo Brown. Dead. Set. Legend. Interestingly first AB prop to hit 50 tests.
Straightest back in the game.
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@nzzp went up against him in his first year at Ponies. Preferred TH but was loose that day. Couldn't buckle the 19yr old straight outta MAGs.
@Magic65 said in What position did you play?:
@nzzp went up against him in his first year at Ponies. Preferred TH but was loose that day. Couldn't buckle the 19yr old straight outta MAGs.
Great story! How old were you then (dare I ask)?
My mother in law taught him at kindy ... no making prop jokes please
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@Magic65 said in What position did you play?:
@nzzp went up against him in his first year at Ponies. Preferred TH but was loose that day. Couldn't buckle the 19yr old straight outta MAGs.
Great story! How old were you then (dare I ask)?
My mother in law taught him at kindy ... no making prop jokes please
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I played everywhere in the backline.
Was fullback in my younger days, then moved to mainly to 9, but also a fair bit at 12.
Also played 1 game at hooker - lineouts were easy, but FUCK scrummaging.
Went out on top last year, winning the final whilehobbling around one good ankle. Just call me Richie.
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@Bones said in What position did you play?:
As a midget with a decent turn of pace, wing through my early childhood.
Hit secondary school and as a midget with a turn of pace, played wing until 15 when I spent the off season teaching myself to pass/kick off both hands/feet, then the next coach took a punt on me at fullback. Where I showed I was a running fullback.
Club rugby at first was mostly fullback, where as a skinny bones I learnt it hurt less to tackle the massive polys than pretend to tackle. When I hit prems I was mostly wing/fullback with the odd trot at centre in the reserves. Season of U85s before coming over here where I was a centre who covered blindside at a pinch.
Over to the UK and was thrust into the hard running and tackling 12/13 mainly as no-one knew how to run lines or hit hard. Would cover wing/fullback but had lost any sense of kicking skills by then.
Onto vets where half the time I would end up being an absolutely shit 10, or a mediocre centre. But man could I shout at people.
Likewise a midget early days, with very brisk first 15 yards.
At primary within school tended to be halfback or hooker (yuck!) owing to lack of size. Had a good sidestep, so for school played wing, and specialised at short side moves.
Between 14 and 16 grew 9 inches, so pretty tuckered and general dog's body.
By uni 6', and played 12 and 15 for Auck Uni under 21 2nds.
Step came in handy at former, but at 75kg the tackling wasn't always so much fun. Reading yours I do recall generally not minding tackling big polys. I'd let them have outside and come in low side on. But straight, hard running 12s with high knee lifts were the pits!
So often at 15, but lacked top end. Remember skinny Northcote winger (Terry Wright?) who scored four tries against us by hugging touchline.
Then headed overseas at 25 and never quite got into club scene.
@pakman said in What position did you play?:
I'd let them have outside and come in low side on.
Hah. In my first year out of school I was playing senior 3 I think, so it was a lot of church teams and stuff. I would've been lucky to be 70 kilos so become used to being at fullback and guys running straight at and usually over me. That's how I eventually learnt to hit hard.
One time I decided to plant my feet early and look scared, then basically as soon as they'd straightened and thought I was easy pickings I'd take off directly at them. Worked a fucken treat and became my thing
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At Primary school had a promising career at lock coz I was the tallest kid in the class but before I could become the next Pinetree we shifted to a non rugby area and I ended up playing two years of league and then three of soccer as that's what all my mates played.
Fortunately my parents divorced and we moved back to the Shore where I specialised as a non-kicking, non-passing 2/5 because I was big. Tactically most of our plays revolved around me taking it up. I was a rugby god. It worked really well until we started crossing the bridge and I found out that what passed for big amongst the little white boys at my school made you a midget facing the poly's from South Auckland. It did lead to my passing skills improving out of sight though.
Beer and girls curtailed my career until I ended up in Holland where I mostly played as a very slow, non-catching, non-tackling 14. Truth be told I specialised mainly in the after match.
Finally a few years later I got roped into two seasons in London for a social side back where I started - as a lock. Mainly because I didn't want to freeze my balls off in the backline who never saw the ball more than once a game. Our idea of spin it wide was giving it to the half back. I did learn to appreciate the rolling maul as a great way to avoid hypothermia in an English February.
Finally gave it away when someone tried to take my eye out which I decided wasn't very social.
Still available for selection although to be honest I have slowed down a lot since my days in Holland. Still good at the after match though.
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Halfback. I was a cross between Justin Marshall (i.e. good hair) and Sid Going (i.e. we both came from Northland). Other than those points there was nothing else in my game that was reminiscent of any All Blacks.
@JC said in What position did you play?:
Halfback. I was a cross between Justin Marshall (i.e. good hair) and Sid Going (i.e. we both came from Northland). Other than those points there was nothing else in my game that was reminiscent of any All Blacks.
JP rhymes with JC?
