Squire: Bigger is better
When Liam Squire was on tour with the All Blacks last November his body gave him a fairly firm message every morning he attempted to haul himself out of the pit.
Turns out he was listening, realising it would have been folly to ignore it. The upshot was a busy summer spent in the constant companionship of Nelson fitness trainer Glenn Stewart, and 4kg of extra muscle packed on to that sturdy frame of his.
The power-packed 23-test All Black did not play his best rugby in 2018, and is the first to admit it. He struggled for rhythm on the back of a couple of months sidelined in the middle of Super Rugby with a thumb fracture, and was playing catchup with his body thereafter.
‘‘The body took a hiding last year,’’ the 27-year-old Tasman and Highlanders loose forward told Stuff yesterday.
‘‘The way I like to play it’s the risk I take. I spent the off-season trying to get the body ready to take those hits and play the style I want to.
‘‘I spent a lot of time with Glenn in Nelson getting the body right and putting on a bit of extra weight. It’s good weight, and I haven’t lost too much fitness, so I’m excited to tear into it.’’
Squire accepts he lost ground in 2018, when he played eight tests but failed to make the sort of mark that had made him the firstchoice All Black No 6 for much of the previous two years.
‘‘I didn’t finish last year the way I wanted to,’’ he says. ‘‘That was the fire burning during the break: I want to continue playing the way I like to play – not for anyone but myself. The goal this year is to just be the best player I can be.’’
Squire casts his mind back to
the middle of last November’s tour and winces. ‘‘Getting up in the morning was some of the harder mornings I’ve had to endure in rugby,’’ reflects the 1.96m, 117kg specimen.
‘‘Most mornings both shoulders were battling to move and it took a while to warm up.
‘‘I knew my body was starting to shut down a bit which wasn’t a good sign. That’s why I’ve put an emphasis on getting those parts right this off-season, and the body is feeling pretty good right now.’’
Squire’s focus is solely on the Highlanders for 2019 where he is in a tussle among a loose forwards contingent that includes Luke Whitelock, Eliot Dixon, Shannon Frizell, Marino Mikaele Tu’u and Jackson Hemopo.
He admits a shift to No 8, if required, would intrigue. ‘‘I’ve wanted to play 8 a lot more than I have. Hopefully I can twist Aaron [Mauger]’s arm into letting me play it a bit.’’
‘‘I spent the offseason trying to get the body ready to take those hits and play the style I want.’’
Liam Squire