Move north a lifeline for McWhannell

Don’t even think about trying to wipe the smile off Laghlan McWhannell’s face right now. He’s about to tote up a seventh straight outing for the Blues and from where possibly the most well-rounded character in New Zealand rugby has come, that’s a stretch to cherish.

McWhannell runs out at Eden Park tonight for his sixth start for the 5-1 Blues, who could pull level with the Super Rugby Pacific-topping Hurricanes with the maximum haul against the lowly Western Force.

It’s not lost on the 25-year-old lock from Hamilton that he’s about to equal his sum total of appearances in five seasons for the Chiefs – the first three decimated by injury.

Making the short trip up State Highway 1 to play his professional footy was not an easy decision for McWhannell, educated at St Peter’s in Cambridge and a cowbellringing Mooloo. But as it became apparent he was being squeezed out in a lock-heavy Chiefs setup, the lifeline tossed by Vern Cotter proved a career reviver.

“Coming north was a massive decision,” McWhannell said ahead of the Force clash. “I’ve always been a Waikato and Chiefs guy … I’m so grateful the Blues threw me a lifeline. I’ve loved every minute of it.

“It was daunting at the start – I felt like a year-13 kid starting a new school, without many mates. But every week I’ve been feeling more at home.”

Injuries remain a theme for this burgeoning lock who masterminded the Blues’ set-piece dismantling of the Crusaders.

After sitting out his first three seasons with the Chiefs (he was first called up by the franchise in 2019, but didn’t appear until 22), McWhannell has received a relatively unobstructed run at the Blues with skipper Patrick Tuipulotu (broken jaw, now a head knock) and Sam Darry (knee) sidelined for significant periods.

McWhannell has had his own frustrations, with knee (twice) and ankle surgeries crippling his entry into professional rugby. He nearly quit the game in frustration before he’d even got going. It was only a carefully laid-out plan by Waikato NPC coach Ross Filipo in 2021 that saved his career.

“I was mentally just so over it,” he recalls. “I had so much pain in my knees trying to run after those surgeries, and I’ve still got pain. It took its toll, and not getting any game-time was more weight.

“But Flos (Filipo) was so good. He took the rugby side out of it and said, ‘let’s just get your mental health right, get you thinking positive again, loving the game again’.

“I owe him so much.”