Squire hunts for wild pigs and Irishmen

The All Blacks No 6 has revealed what took him from the Chiefs to the Highlanders, reports Richard Knowler in Chicago.

LIAM Squire has an old school way about him.

He enjoys pig hunting with his three dogs, and exploring the great expanses of Otago’s back country when on duty for the Highlanders.

Then there is his rugby. At 1.96m and around 110kg, Squire possesses a physical rig big enough to bust through defenders, he is also surprisingly quick when there is only fresh air ahead of him, but has also learned enough tricks from mentors such as Jamie Joseph and Kieran Keane to keep the rough edges to his game.

Although from Manawatu, where he attended Palmerston North Boys’ High School, Squire kick-started his rugby career when he accepted Keane’s invite to play for Tasman in 2011.

It hasn’t been the easiest of paths, and for someone who is just 25 he already has a busy medical file. A back injury, a broken leg and concussions have interrupted Squire’s career and then it appeared Luke Whitelock, who started to get more starts at No 8 for the Highlanders in the second half of the Super Rugby season, might also derail his chances of getting picked for the All Blacks this year.

Fortunately for Squire, the All Blacks’ selectors had a different view on how they wanted things done in their team. While Highlanders No 6 Elliot Dixon has joined Squire in the All Blacks, both made their test debuts against Wales in Dunedin in June, it has been Squire who has been getting more opportunities at No 6 on the international circuit.

The test against Ireland in Chicago this morning (NZT) will be his second start in seven test appearances, with 75-test veteran Jerome Kaino shifting from blindside flanker into the second row.

If you were wanting to pinpoint a turning point in Squire’s career, you could say it was when he asked Chiefs coach Dave Rennie for a release from the Hamilton-based club after being on its books for two seasons.

‘‘It was more a case of me approaching him,’’ Squire said. ‘‘I told him I wanted to go to Dunedin – that I was keen to stay in the South Island. The opportunity to go down there, because Nasi (Manu) was leaving was a big factor.’’

Rennie didn’t make things difficult and Squire said there was no bad blood: ‘‘I had my reasons, why I wanted to leave, so we came to a mutual agreement to get that release,’’ Squire reiterated.

It’s no secret Joseph, a former All Blacks loose forward, has never been reluctant to challenge his players and Squire could accept that wasn’t a bad thing.

‘‘Jamie is a pretty straightforward guy. He will hit you with it straight up, there is no beating around the bush. You know where you stand and what you need to work on. He has the ability to get the best out of some people, and, you know, that worked out well for me.’’

Earlier in his career, another firebrand, Tasman boss Keane, who is now assisting Rennie at the Chiefs, was offering words of advice to a younger, and lighter, Squire.

‘‘He is pretty similar to Jamie Joseph, he will hit you with it straight up so I amused to that now. He preferred me playing at No 6, and it wasn’t until we had a few injuries at No 8 that I got my chance there.

‘‘He is a very smart man when it comes to analysing footy games, and what not, so to get that sort of level of coaching at provincial level was awesome.’’

Squire was raw and enthusiastic but, at just 98kg, he also needed to stack on some body armour. When he suffered a broken leg in 2012 he was out of action for around six months, so turned his attention to cranking up the kilos in the gym.

‘‘I prepared myself to play at a bigger weight, and managed to get to about 110-112kg. It gives you that ability to be a lot more physical and makes it a hell of a lot easier when you are tackling the bigger guys running at you.’’