Drummond has eventful year
Fake brains oozed from Mitchell Drummond’s starched white chef’s hat, and ersatz blood stains doused his shirt front as secret tactics to be unleashed against the All Blacks were unveiled in London.
Just over a week later the halfback wore more conventional clobber for another pre-game debrief except this was prior to his first appearance for the All Blacks in their mid-week match against a French XV in Lyon.
It has been an eventful year for Drummond.
In addition to playing for the Barbarians against the All Blacks early last month, and then representing his country in France, he was a member of the Crusaders and Canterbury teams that won their respective competitions.
Believe it or not, Drummond still isn’t entirely happy. Losing the Ranfurly Shield to Taranaki still rankles.
‘‘It still guts me that we lost the shield,’’ he said. ‘‘It still sits with me. But if I had been told at the start of the season about everything that has happened, I wouldn’t have believed you.
‘‘I will probably have a beer over Christmas and reflect on what has been a crazy year.’’
To stay true to the ethos of what the Barbarians represent, which is enjoyment on and off the field, their members must be open-minded; and with preparations prior to the All Blacks game coinciding with Halloween the players dressed-up for the occasion. Drummond, complete with toque blanche, appeared as a demented chef fresh from a slaughterhouse.
‘‘The Barbarians was a lot of fun, you get to meet some pretty cool people.
‘‘And to play against the All Blacks, that was something that I will remember for a long time,’’ Drummond said.
‘‘We trained every day, it wasn’t too full-on just because guys were coming from all parts of the world. It was good times.’’
Things got weirder during the week, when a naturalist arrived at training with a python, reptiles, a tarantula and an eagle owl for the players to observe and handle.
Being in the position of facing the All Blacks’ haka, prior to joining them for the pre-match ritual less than two weeks later, was one of the quirks of the trip to England and France.
Newcomers to the All Blacks usually keep their heads down and eyes open, and Drummond was no exception.
‘‘I didn’t really know what to expect, but I loved it. It lit a bit of a fire inside me to, hopefully, one day be back in there. Everything they did was new to me, so I just tried to soak it up.
‘‘I was quite lucky there was so many players there that I had played with (at the Crusaders), which made it easier. At the same time I was just trying to listen and learn.’’
With Tawera Kerr-barlow now playing in France, Drummond wants to prove he deserves a chance to be the No 3 halfback behind the established All Blacks Aaron Smith and TJ Perenara.