The man with the plan

four years. A lot of hard work and energy is put into a career that can be over very, very quickly. It’s something you’ve got to spend time on.

‘‘You can go, ‘here’s three things I can achieve over the next three months, and if I tick them off I’ve done well’. They can be as small as finding a good accountant, because that’s an important first step.’’

‘‘A lot of hard work and energy is put into a career that can be over very, very quickly.’’

Sam Whitelock

Whitelock has seen over his time a growing awareness around the need for players to fortify themselves for the next step.

‘‘I’ve gone through a couple of those early stages myself, living in a cold flat wondering ‘why am I not in a nice house that’s warm?’ There are awesome examples out there of people who have done great things on the rugby field but also extraordinary things off it.’’ on being a professional rugby player

Maybe none better than former Crusaders and All Blacks halfback Andy Ellis who has developed a range of business interests over the latter years of his career.

‘‘Andy has an awesome mindset round sponsors’ engagements that can be hard to get up for if you’ve had a big week’s training. Andy always approached it as ‘who’s in this room I can benefit from and who can benefit from me?’ He’d walk into a room and be catching up with everyone as though they were all old mates.’’

Whitelock, whose parents are dairy farmers in the Manawatu, has long ago put in place his post-rugby plan.

‘‘We’re going to go farming, and we’re doing some things at the moment to make sure when we do arrive here the transition is smoother because the numbers are a little scary around how many people do struggle. It turns out the people who play rugby longer struggle more when their careers end.’’

Meantime, Whitelock has plenty to ponder rugby wise. The Crusaders are working on fitting him back in for the Super Rugby resumption. There may be a provincial campaign. There may be tests later. There may even be throwback things like a NorthSouth game which piques his interest. ‘‘It’s going to be quite cool,’’ he said of the likely domestic focus. ‘‘We’ve got to look after our own backyard first because we’re not going to be able to travel for a while.’’

GETTY IMAGES Sam Whitelock has achieved much in a career than has included two World Cup wins with the All Blacks, inset left, three Super Rugby crowns with the Crusaders, inset right, and a stint with Japanese club Panasonic Wild Knights, inset centre. But he’s also thinking about a future for him and his family, including son Fred, bottom left.