I’m glad Christie quit, says Ainley
Alex Ainley is just glad Shane Christie has finally hung up his boots.
The 36-year-old lock has watched his Tasman and Highlanders team-mate attempt to battle back from concussion and resume his career since last year, a fight he officially quit after announcing his retirement on Monday.
Christie, whose last game of professional rugby was the 2016 Mitre 10 Cup final against Canterbury in Christchurch, will start his coaching career as Tasman’s forwards coach.
Like other players who had their careers cut short by concussion, the former openside flanker declined an interview.
However, while Ainley didn’t offer specific details, he said it was a relief Christie had pulled the pin on his playing days.
‘‘I have been with him the last couple of years and played with him. I’ve seen what he’s been through and I don’t wish that on anyone. I’m glad he’s hung the boots up because I don’t want anything worse to happen to him. He’s a great guy.
‘‘There’s still a lot of variables around concussion and we obviously don’t know a whole lot about it. So if they don’t know, it’s better to leave the guy out.’’
Christie was badly concussed playing for the Highlanders against the Kings in round 13 of the 2016 Super Rugby season, but did play three weeks later. He then captained Tasman in the NPC, playing 10 matches, including the 43-27 loss to Canterbury in the final.
But when the Highlanders fronted ahead of last year’s season-opener against the Chiefs, Christie was unavailable. Then head coach Tony Brown didn’t offer details, only that specialists were trying to get to the bottom of his ‘‘illness’’.
It dragged on all season. Christie never played.
But there was hope last May, when Tasman chief executive Tony Lewis said he was ‘‘very confident’’ Christie would play in last year’s NPC.
It didn’t transpire. Instead Christie was restricted to a non- playing advisory role.
Lewis told Stuff yesterday Christie didn’t want to speak to media because he was still coming to grips with his playing career being over, and he wanted to concentrate on his next chapter.
Having watched Christie get a taste of coaching last year, Ainley, like Tasman head coach Leon MacDonald, believes his coaching future is bright.
‘‘He will go bloody good,’’ Ainley said. ‘‘The coaches came and asked the leadership group if we wanted to keep him involved. We definitely did. He knows what he’s on about . . . he’ll go far, I think.
‘‘He’s down to earth, he’s a similar age, he knows what the boys are on about, what gets them fired up and what gets them through to training. He brings the energy, which a lot of coaches, for better or worse, don’t have.’’
Ainley will join Tasman for another season after Super Rugby wraps up in August. He’s not yet sure if he’ll be back in Dunedin for a fifth season with the Highlanders next year.
The Highlanders leave for Sydney tomorrow for Saturday’s match against the Waratahs.