Marchant first Englishman in action
Move to Blues reaps more rewards as he beats countrymen back on to pitch
Joe Marchant may not see out the Super Rugby Aotearoa competition, but as the sole Englishman set to be playing professional rugby in the near future, he is intent on flying the flag before returning home.
Beauden Barrett’s maiden outing for the Blues against the Hurricanes in Auckland on Sunday, June 14, will naturally capture most of the attention — the All Blacks playmaker notched a casual personal best (4m 12s) in the Bronco test on his first day back to signal his readiness.
Marchant’s presence on these shores promises to garner plenty of interest from the other side of the globe, too.
While New Zealand begins preparations for Super Rugby’s return in the form of the 10-week local derby competition, rugby in Europe remains off the table for the short-term. Locals in London have only recently been permitted to meet one person outside their household at a time.
New Zealand’s 21 confirmed coronavirus deaths certainly compares favourably with England’s toll of 34,000-plus.
“I’ve spoken to a few of the rugby boys back home and they want to get into it, but with the rates of people who have got the virus in England and how serious everything is, it’s been difficult to get on top of it,” Marchant says with a healthy dose of perspective as the five New
Zealand teams returned to training under strict protocols this week.
“It’s a lot different to here — there’s hardly any cases compared to back home, where there’s hundreds of deaths each day.
“I definitely didn’t think this whole experience would get cut short, but to be able to be back playing before the rest of the world will be pretty awesome.”
Before coronavirus took hold in New Zealand, Marchant’s elusiveness, quick feet and frequent touches impressed the Blues. He scored three tries in six outings after switching from midfield to the wing opposite enticing prospect Mark Telea.
In the first transfer of the formal arrangement with New Zealand Rugby, Harlequins approved a oneseason sabbatical so Marchant could expand his skills in Super Rugby’s faster attacking environment — a contrast to the largely defencedominated matches often played on stodgy pitches in the middle of the English winter.
With the season here suspended and then reshaped to a domestic format, the 23-year-old is now left with an uncertain future in which he may play only three more games for the Blues.
“I’m still not entirely sure what’s happening with it all, to be honest. At the moment, I’m staying for the start of the competition here, but it will all depend on what happens with Quins and the rest of the Premiership season back home.
“My contract starts back up at Quins on July 1, so I’m going to see how it all works, take everything into consideration and go from there.
“I’ve loved it here and want to try and get a few more games in, but Quins have been so amazing for letting me come out, so if they do get up and running, being able to play for both teams in the same season would be a good thing.
“If they do finish the Premiership off, which is what they’re planning to do, it will be nice to have played the majority of the season here and then go back and carry on playing in England.”
Marchant has kept a close eye on the blanket 25 per cent player wage cuts and imminent changes to the English salary cap, with proposals tabled to scrap the marquee salary exemption that could significantly drop the overall funding model and impact high-profile New Zealand imports.
“With going back there soon, I wanted to keep on top of it. I don’t think it’ll change things too much. Everyone will be in the same mindset of trying to win the Premiership. Yeah, squads might be a bit different, but everyone will still be driving for the same thing.”
Marchant’s short-term focus is, however, on a return for the Blues which he knows will be keenly viewed by many rugby-starved lovers throughout Europe.
“I’ll have to do something, won’t I? Now this is going to be the only rugby on, it’ll be nice they’ll be able to watch. There will be a reason for my family and friends to get up early in the morning rather than just being in lockdown.
“I absolutely can’t wait, to be honest. All three games we played against the other New Zealand teams were great. Hopefully going into this tournament, we can carry on the form we had before the lockdown and crack on.
“It feels like ages but I’m just so glad we can get back to training and playing again.
“I feel like I’ve learnt a lot. Coming here was an experience and about development, so hopefully I can bring a lot back to the English game. I knew it was going to be tough and fast, and it was a bit harder than I thought it would be.”
I definitely didn’t think this whole experience would get cut short but to be able to be back playing before the rest of the world will be pretty awesome. Joe Marchant