Opportunity knocks for Christie at the Chiefs
Finlay Christie wasn’t expecting to be close to donning a Chiefs jersey in Super Rugby this year.
But the 22-year-old red-haired halfback, appropriately nicknamed ‘Red’ by his teammates, is in the mix when the Chiefs begin their season against the Highlanders in Dunedin on Friday.
Brad Weber’s rotten luck saw him suffer a leg break (fractured femur) as the Chiefs won the inaugural Brisbane Global Tens.
Tawera Kerr-Barlow and Weber playing in unison at halfback has been a potent one-two combination adding punch to the Chiefs’ attack.
Weber’s season-ending injury, which will take a minimum of six months to recover from, tests the depth the Chiefs possess.
And with Kerr-Barlow set to start against the Highlanders, coach Dave Rennie will have to turn to one of his young halfbacks – Christie or 20-year-old Jonathan Taumateine – to be the 25-test All Black’s backup.
Taumateine, unlike Christie, played in the Tens tournament, but the Counties Manukau halfback was just recently called up to the Super Rugby squad after Weber’s injury blow.
Christie was initially named in the Chiefs squad after impressing in his maiden Mitre 10 Cup season with the Tasman Makos last year, but he faces the next level up quicker than anticipated.
‘‘When I came here, I just expected to try and learn from Weber and TKB [Kerr-Barlow], but I guess it does give me an opportunity,’’ Christie said.
‘‘There’s still three halfbacks, so I’ve got to fight to get into that 23.’’
Christie’s parents emigrated from Scotland to Pukekohe when he was seven and he was schooled at Saint Kentigern College in Auckland, where he caught the eye of the Counties coaches.
He represented them at under19 level in 2014 before moving south to study at the University of Canterbury.
It’s in Canterbury, playing for the University club, that Christie convinced Tasman to offer him an NPC contract.
He didn’t disappoint and featured in 10 of their matches in 2016, which included four starts as they reached the Premiership final that ended in defeat to Canterbury.
Christie has already attained national sporting honours for New Zealand, but in gymnastics, which he did for nine years.
As it turned out, balancing two sports wasn’t viable and rugby became the main agenda.
Now Christie is learning off the best, in a Chiefs squad stacked with All Blacks, including Aaron Cruden, Anton Lienert-Brown, Brodie Retallick and Sam Cane, as well as Kerr-Barlow.
‘‘There are so much more little details, I guess,’’ he said.
‘‘Maybe the little things you don’t think about at a lower level and things that it takes to make it at this level and take the next step.’’
Christie and Taumateine will know when the Chiefs name their team today if they can prepare for a Super Rugby debut.
The former may also face the prospect of possibly playing his international rugby for Scotland one day, thanks to being eligible through his parents.
‘‘I haven’t really thought about it to be honest,’’ Christie said.
‘‘I’m just taking it one step at a time and trying to put my best foot forward here.’’