Crockett told at school he would never be an All Black

When Wyatt Crockett stands at the facade of Nelson College, peering down to the paddock where he used to play first XV rugby as a lanky teenager, he must see a field of dreams.

Though predominantly a prop, Crockett’s height was an asset and saw him used in many positions across the Nelson College forward pack, including lock and blindside flanker.

Crockett, who grew up in Golden Bay, attended Nelson College Preparatory School in 1994 and progressed through to Nelson College. He graduated in 2000 but spent an extra year at Otago Boys’ High School.

He played a number of sports but rugby was always his No 1.

‘‘After school there would always be plenty of kids to pass a ball around with and play around on the fields. It was brilliant,’’ Crockett said, looking back to his days as a Nelson College boarder.

He said he was a mediocre player during his teenage years and still remembers being told by others that he would never be an All Black.

‘‘That definitely stuck in my mind.’’

Crockett initially took those comments to heart, until his father read a book about keeping a positive mindset. It was only then, through his father’s advice and once he had finished secondary school, that Crockett realised he could achieve his dream as long as he was determined to work for it.

Crockett was back at Nelson College on Monday, donating one of his All Blacks playing jerseys to the school. The gesture symbolises just how far Crockett has come since those days.

Now 33, Crockett has played 58 times for the All Blacks and has lost just once since making his debut against Italy in 2009. ‘‘It is crazy [to look back],’’ he said. ‘‘I was just an average player here as a schoolboy. I was just part of the team.

‘‘In the first XV I wasn’t a standout player or anything like that so I suppose coming from there it’s pretty amazing where it’s come to.

‘‘I don’t think anyone who I was at school with back then would have predicted it.’’

Crockett, who has been a long servant for the Canterbury and the Crusaders, said it was simply ‘‘hard work and determination’’ that made him an All Black.

‘‘You don’t have to be the most talented or the most gifted, whether it’s academics or across in the sporting fields, but if you’ve got the right attitude and you’re willing to make some sacrifices then you can do anything.’’

When looking back on 2016, the team losing just once to Ireland in a game he didn’t play, Crockett said the All Blacks were satisfied with how they fared, particularly in a transition year following the Rugby World Cup.

‘‘It was obviously a real challenge, losing six or seven 100-gamers, which is a lot of experience and with skip Richie [McCaw] and Dan [Carter], two absolute legends of our game, finishing up. But guys had to step up within the team and stamp their mark and the coaching staff really did their job and the new players added to the environment,’’ he said.

‘‘We did have that one loss, which was disappointing because an ideal world we wouldn’t have lost anything.’’

Crockett is contracted with New Zealand Rugby through to 2018 and is likely to extend that deal further. He sights are set on winning a second World Cup as he wasn’t part of the 2011 squad.

‘‘I’d love to be. I’m getting a bit older so I’ll see how it goes but that’s my goal.’’