Nelson rugby player tackles Charlie
A detour from the rugby pitch into endurance racing could give a Nelson man an edge in a competition to find New Zealand’s hidden rugby talent.
David Egelstaff is one of five contestants in 2nd Chance Charlie, a new 2degrees/Three show starting on Wednesday which gives rugby hopefuls a second chance to live out their professional footy dreams.
The winner will receive $10,000 and the chance to take part in an intensive 12-week training programme with their regional Super Rugby team, while the public will also have their say with a $5000 prize for the People’s Choice.
The 28-year-old Egelstaff said he still had some unfinished business in rugby, knowing that he never reached his potential the first time around.
Born in Wales and raised on rugby, Egelstaff captained his school first XV in England and cracked the semi-professional ranks in the UK, before moving to Nelson five years ago.
Playing his club rugby for Nelson, in 2016 and 2017 he played in the Heartland Championship for Buller, on loan from Tasman.
Egelstaff said throughout that time he had never fully applied himself, relying on natural talent and his rugby instincts to get him through.
‘‘I probably hadn’t done what was required to get to the next level – the one thing I always struggled with was my fitness.’’
He said things got out of hand during the 2017 off-season, when his weight ballooned from 105kg to 115kg.
Egelstaff returned to the UK for five months to be with his mother, who had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
On his return to New Zealand he decided to take up triathlon, and set his sights on the Taupo
Ironman. Unlike in rugby, Egelstaff was well out of his comfort zone. He had only learned to swim properly a couple of years before, and there were no short-cuts to help him get ahead of the pack.
‘‘With triathlon I couldn’t halfass it, when you’re swimming 2km with 2000 people in a lake. I had to look after myself with my nutrition and training.’’
Egelstaff transformed his body, dropping from 115kg back down to 90kg.
‘‘I thought if I applied that discipline I learned from triathlon to the rugby field – how far could I go?’’