Lowe ready for Leinster stint
James Lowe’s familiar joie de vivre deserted him momentarily last Saturday night.
The big Tasman Makos winger sat slumped on Christchurch’s AMI Stadium turf, team-mate Tima Faingaanuku’s consoling arm resting on his shoulder, as the reality of Tasman’s 35-13 premiership final loss to Canterbury sunk in.
But there was much more to it than that.
‘‘I guess running out there for the last time was a wee bit emotional and I guess right at the end it hits you like a brick wall in a way,’’ Lowe said. ‘‘That’s when you realise, this is it, this is going to be the last time I wear this [Tasman] jumper for a while.’’
After almost 50 games for Tasman since his debut in 2012 and four seasons with the Chiefs, the 25-year-old winger heads to Irish club Leinster this weekend to begin a three-year contract.
‘‘It’s a bit of a scary thought to think my time in New Zealand is done for now, but it’s all part of growing up. It’s a big old world out there and I can’t wait to explore it.
‘‘Never in a million years would I have thought rugby is what I’m going to do for my nine to five, but it’s been an absolute pleasure so far and I’m really excited about what the future has in store.’’
Losing a second straight final to Canterbury certainly didn’t ease the torment.
‘‘It was definitely sad, it was a shame we couldn’t quite knock over that red and black machine but there’s a reason why they’re the best and they showed it for 80 minutes on Saturday night.
‘‘I was saying after the game there were just some key moments and in that first 20 minutes we won more key moments than they did.
‘‘But then [for Canterbury] to score that try just before halftime and then just after halftime, they got the first penalty and once you start adding up the key moments, points accumulate then all of sudden you’re on the back foot trying to chase the game.
‘‘That’s when things really start getting tough ... yeah, it’s all part of the game.’’
But it’s over now and while excited about heading offshore, his heart will always be in Nelson and with Tasman.
‘‘It’s my home, I grew up here, I went to school here and my whole family’s from Nelson, so there’s a lot of things I’m going to miss.
‘‘Just the boys, the culture and the fact of where we’ve come from, that’s huge. Literally at the start we were a bunch of battlers from around New Zealand, a bunch of rejects mainly, and to come from where we were to what we’ve built now ... we’re that small team with all the Super Rugby players now.’’
Lowe said that making three premiership finals in four seasons after winning the 2013 championship crown pointed to Tasman’s remarkable progress.
‘‘At the start we were just trying not to get the wooden spoon, so we’ve definitely come a long way and I’m very proud of what this union’s been able to produce with four All Blacks now.’’
He believed it was only a matter of time until Tasman finally won the premiership title.
‘‘Our academy system’s awesome, we’ve got young guys coming through and they come from around New Zealand and they see Nelson and Tasman as a way to advance their rugby.
‘‘That’s part of the reason why we’re so strong, our development system’s so much better now. One day it’ll happen and when it does, you’ll definitely hear me screaming from the other side of the world.’’
Lowe’s confident that’s he’s heading to Leinster with some solid form behind him.
‘‘Someone said to me after the game, `you played well, you should be proud’ and I said `if I’d played a shit game and won, I’d be the happiest man in the world’.
‘‘I’m happy with how I’m playing at the moment but the big thing about that is trying to carry that on while I’m over there. It’s easy to play well here when you’re happy 24/7, you’ve got your family, you’ve got those support systems here.
‘‘It’s going to be a little bit more difficult over there. I need to find that connection, that feeling of being wanted over there. It’s not all about just playing 80 minutes, you’ve got to get the whole package right.
‘‘I guess that’s what I’ve got to find over there, I’ve got to make sure I’m happy and everything’s sorted and the rugby will take care of itself. I’ll definitely give it a good crack and try and fit in and make my way over there.’’
He’s adamant that Tasman haven’t seen the last of him.
‘‘One day if the stars are aligned, I’ll definitely be back playing [in Nelson] ... but if circumstances change, I could be home earlier than later but definitely one day I’ll be back in Nelson.’’