Club player’s 150th game
In a feat that’s becoming rare to find in club rugby, Josh Janmaat has played his
150th game for Morrinsville Sports. The 33-year-old loose-forward will celebrate this weekend with his team at their home game against Taupiri.
He joins other Morrinsville players Tony Hart (161 games), Damon McKinnon
(179 games) and Mark Verner (181 games) at the landmark, while Jayson Chambers has five more games to hit 100.
Nowadays, Janmaat said, players either aim for professional rugby careers, or have to give up the sport in favour of a steady income, meaning there were less players sticking around at club level. But while Janmaat’s 16-year career has included a few fair broken bones, he’s played alongside big names and has been involved in history-making matches. ‘‘There’s more pressure now on younger guys for an income. Back then, it didn’t matter if you’d go pro, and if you didn’t turn up to work it wouldn’t matter much.
‘‘But now less and less employers are understanding of rugby and rugby injuries, so a lot more guys stop playing rugby to focus on work,’’ he said.
‘‘The hardest thing is getting young guys to stay playing rugby once they leave school. You’ve got to have the commitment for it.’’
Janmaat chose to raise a family and build a career in the technology industry, but stayed on playing for Morrinsville Sports. He first joined the club at age 16, played for the Under 19s, Under 21s, and Senior A and B teams.
He was part of the winning 2009 team competing for the Breweries Shield. It was the first time the club had ever claimed the shield, and for Morrinsville supporters, the final whistle signalled the start of the town’s biggest party in years.
Janmaat believed the game was one of the best.
Chresten Davis and Brendon Leonard were two All Blacks to come out of the club, while a host of others have appeared for the Waikato provincial team or the Chiefs in Super Rugby. Some of those include Duane Monkley, Loki Chrichton, Dwayne Sweeney and Alex Bradley.
— Kelley Tantau