Sports legends catch up
Christian Cullen and Michael Campbell might be two of New Zealand’s finest sportsmen, but last week they were just two Wellington boys having a catch-up.
The pair met up in Tawa’s 15 sports bar last Tuesday for a lunch they had been looking forward to for years.
‘‘ I’ve always been a fan of Christian. He was a big inspiration for me,’’ Campbell said.
The two first spoke after Campbell won the US Open in 2005, but had never met in person.
‘‘But I’ve seen him so much on TV, in the news. You already feel like you know each other,’’ said Cullen, one of the greatest All Black fullbacks.
The two sports heroes discussed their careers, exchanged stories and a few tips.
‘‘ I’m always pretty keen for some golf tips,’’ Cullen said.
He described himself as a ‘‘born and bred Paekakariki lad’’ who now lives up the coast.
Campbell’s family moved to Titahi Bay when he was four years old.
He now lives in Spain and said he had started to miss New Zealand.
‘‘I’ve been touring now for 24 years. When you are so focused on what you are doing, you’re in a bubble,’’ he said.
‘‘When you get older you go back to your roots. I want to reconnect with my country.
‘‘My kids don’t know New Zealand.
‘‘ They don’t know the haka. That kills me.
‘‘When I retire, I might come back to New Zealand. I never thought I’d say that.’’
However, he said retirement was some time off, despite what had been a bad streak.
‘‘My plan is to play for the next two or three years, take two or three years off and then play in the seniors.’’
As for Cullen, he said he had done some soul-searching about what to do after rugby.
‘‘After I retired, there was some time there when it was really like, ‘What now?’’’
He now runs his own talent management agency and helps look after his four children.
The meeting arose by coincidence when Campbell, visiting Wellington this week, was taken to the bar by his sister.
Cullen, an owner of the bar, heard through the grapevine that his favourite golfer was in town.
‘‘When I heard he was here, I started asking around to see if anyone had his number,’’ Cullen said.