Show offers a second chance at first love
After putting his dreams of professional rugby on hold, a Wellington man is getting another chance at rugby stardom as part of a new television programme, 2nd Chance Charlie.
Firefighter James Cockburn, 27, had always wanted to play professional rugby in New Zealand. A couple of selection setbacks knocked his confidence, and he put those dreams aside to raise his two boys, aged 1 and 3, and now has another baby on the way.
As part of Three and 2degrees’ new programme, Cockburn is training with the Hurricanes for eight weeks in the hope of winning 12 weeks of training, mentoring, and coaching with their chosen Super Rugby team, and $10,000 in cash.
Cockburn had been playing rugby since he was 5, but missed selection for an under20s team. So he took a rugby contract in the Netherlands. ‘‘It was an amazing experience. It was the first time I’d left home, and I moved to the other side of the world.’’
He returned to New Zealand in 2013 and made it into a few Lions satellite squads, but ‘‘kept getting cut at the last hurdle’’.
In 2015, he took a year-long contract in Scotland, trialled for the Edinburgh team, but as he wasn’t ‘‘Scottish qualified’’ he came home to bolster his resume.
He played in the New Zealand Defence Force World Cup, joining the Territorials after they were short of a tighthead prop, spending three weeks in Japan in 2019.
But with a wife and young children at home, it was very hard leaving his family behind. ‘‘My wife is one of my biggest supporters. She knows this is my dream, she’s always pushing me in the right direction to take these opportunities.’’
His new career as a firefighter runs in the family; his grandfather was even born in a fire station, because his great grandfather lived onsite. The two-days-on, two-off work cycle worked much better for training ‘‘and spending time with my family’’.
He confessed he wasn’t particularly at home in front of the camera.
His goal over the eight weeks of the challenge was to lose 10 kilograms of body fat. ‘‘And I’m pretty much there.
‘‘The end goal for all of us is to get a professional rugby contract.’’
People can vote for the people’s choice award on the 2degrees website.