Lam sees bigger picture off field
Don’t fret about how Ben Lam is dealing with his All Blacks omission. The in-form Hurricanes wing is far too busy bettering himself to get hung up on a little rejection.
Did you know he’s six papers from a geography degree with a minor in marine biology? That he’s a deep-sea diver in his spare time, and a founding member of the Hurricanes Book Club that is in the process of reinventing itself as an investment group.
Or, that his partner Jess Gray is a doctor who has helped him understand the wisdom of cutting back on alcohol and late nights.
Lam has been one of New Zealand rugby’s 2018 success stories in a breakthrough campaign for the Hurricanes, with 14 tries in 13 matches.
He failed to add to that haul in Friday night’s 30-14 defeat to the Highlanders in Dunedin, but came within inches of squeezing another Lam special in the tightest of spaces.
The 26-year-old 1.91m and 110kg wing was a people’s choice bolter for the All Blacks’ June squad. He didn’t make it, but coach Steve Hansen nominated him as one of the notable near misses on form.
Lam, who has signed a new twoyear deal with the Canes, certainly isn’t sulking.
‘‘To have your name mentioned in that talk is a good thing, definitely a positive, and if I can keep playing the way I am hopefully it will come,’’ he told Stuff.
‘‘Last year I played in only five games, so this year to be mentioned [in the All Blacks conversation], it’s a good stepping stone.’’
Besides, if anyone has learned patience it’s this St Peter’s Collegeeducated Aucklander who was a sub-11sec 100m runner in his schooldays. He made just a halfdozen appearances for the Blues from 2012-15, relying on the national sevens squad for the bulk of his opportunities.
Then came the 2017 move to the Hurricanes, where again he had to bide his time with just one start in his first season in the capital.
But this year things have fallen into place, in so many areas.
‘‘It was a matter of having faith and believing in what I’d done,’’ he said.
He says he’s adopted an ‘‘active’’ mindset on the field, looking to get as involved as early as possible.
But he has no doubt life away from rugby has provided a balance that has reaped the rewards.
That’s why he is eyeing finishing that degree. That’s why he, Ardie Savea, Blade Thomson and Chris Eves decided, sitting round their hotel rooms on a road trip, to use their downtime to better themselves.
They formed the book club – they have just finished The Girl on the Train – though Lam revealed that had even developed a life of its own.
‘‘We try to catch up once a week, and it’s starting to develop into business ideas, getting us thinking about what we can do with our money, other than just spend it on clothes. It’s another good way to get out of that rugby mindset, and expand our thinking.’’