From Spain to Turbos for lock
Liam Mitchell’s path to the Manawatu Turbos included an unusual detour in the form of a Spain sojourn.
The 21-year-old lock, who can also cover blindside flanker, will play his first game for the province if he gets off the bench against Bay of Plenty in Palmerston North tonight.
It would mark the high point in a lengthy season for Mitchell, who last had an off-season in 2015.
Last year he traded his break by linking up with Santboiana in Barcelona, Spain, a club with Manawatu connections through the coaching staff.
But Mitchell, who is also a proficient tennis player, said the Spanish campaign was not too arduous meaning he returned feeling fresh.
‘‘It is not too bad,’’ he said. ‘‘In Spain we were just gyming in the morning, having the day off and training at night. The games are spread out and you have weeks off so it was good.’’
The Palmerston North Boys’ High School old boy has screamed provincial potential for the last couple of years.
His athleticism around the park has seen him stand out in club rugby. But his size has been a concern - not height at 1.99m, but rather weight when he was 100kg last year.
That was a major issue he needed to get right and playing professionally in Spain gave him to the time to do so.
Through eating right, staying disciplined and constantly hitting the gym he bulked up and is now listed at 110kg.
Mitchell believed that was a key reason he was able to finally crack the Turbos this year. And he has no lack of pedigree. His father is 10-game Manawatu lock Alistair Mitchell.
He played two seasons for Manawatu (1991 and 1995) taking the field with greats like Joe Schmidt, Jason Holland, Lee Stensness and Christian Cullen.
Both Mitchell men cut similar statures for their provincial debuts (Liam 1.99m, 110kg and Alistair 2m, 105kg).
Alistair also coaches his son in club rugby for Te Kawau.
But Liam said he has left the coaching to the Turbos staff in recent week.
‘‘He does not have much to say. He will just be chirping in the stands,’’ he said.
Looking ahead to the match against Bay of Plenty, Mitchell said he expected the Steamers to test them in the forwards.
‘‘They are going to bash us up the middle, so we are going to have to be switched on and physical.’’
He was also expecting pressure at set piece.
‘‘We have changed up our lineout for this week. The boys thought Otago were pretty onto it so we have changed it. Hopefully all the boys are clued up now and it goes all good. It is meant to be a pretty windy day, so we will need to keep it simple.’’
A small points-differential is the only thing that separates the teams on the championship ladder so this match could hold key playoff implications.