Read returns to active duty
The former All Blacks captain says he’s joined the Steelers to win but he also wants to enjoy himself.
Kieran Read may have played 127 tests for the All Blacks and captained them on 52 occasions, but it will still be a special day for him today when he plays his first game for Counties Manukau.
Papakura-born Read gets the chance to play for Counties because of the cancellation of the Japanese Top League and getting to play for the Steelers fits in with how he sees rugby now.
He will make his debut for the province in tonight’s game against Tasman.
At the age of 34, there’s nothing left for him to achieve in the game. He’s won two World Cups, been world player of the year and scored 26 test tries.
While he’s not ready to hang up the boots just yet, he wants to make the last couple of years of his career special.
‘‘There’s no point doing it if you’re not enjoying it and that’s been the case throughout my career,’’ Read told Stuff.
‘‘But I guess now, there’s a bit less expectation and pressure on myself. I hope I can enjoy it, it’s the whole reason why I play the game.
‘‘Within that as well, it’s trying to perform as best I can and if we can put in good performances as a team, it always makes it more enjoyable to play.’’
Read spent all of his career in New Zealand playing for Canterbury and the Crusaders.
But he never forgot his roots and when the chance came for him to play in the Mitre 10 Cup this season, he was desperate to make it work.
Given that he is having to commute from Christchurch each week to train with the Steelers and the competition is being played in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, no-one would have begrudged him playing for Canterbury again.
However, Read said that was never an option for him.
‘‘It was going to be Counties or no-one and go back to Japan early,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s worked out well, it’s a place I wanted to play and both sides get the most value out of it, in terms of the province and myself.’’
Read’s not just with Counties to tick another box on his bucket list. He also wants to help the union get back up to the Premiership. He’s been a winner throughout his career and he doesn’t intend to stop now.
‘‘Why you play the game is to win and I’m a competitive guy,’’ he said.
‘‘So I certainly want to come up here and put my best foot forward to do that. That’s not just me, but the whole squad at Counties, to pull ourselves back up.’’
Read announced well before last year’s World Cup that he’d be heading to Japan after the tournament, so he’s had plenty of time to come to terms with that decision.
But walking away from one of the most successful sporting teams in the world can’t be easy, even if you’re battling against Father Time, but Read said he’d been able to move on.
‘‘To be honest, it’s been fairly easy being apart from it this year,’’ he said.
‘‘When you’re involved in the team you’re just so focused and 100 per cent wanting to do so well, that you don’t really get a chance to know what it’s like to be out.
‘‘Once I’d made the decision to go up to Japan and then being back here this year, I’ve certainly been happy to be on the outside and looking in.
‘‘So I’ll support the All Blacks this year and have that role. Having played so much for them, I’ll always keep a close eye on them and hope they do well.’’
Despite his status in the game, Read will be just another player for the Steelers. He’s not a player-coach, or one of the two co-captains.
So Read has to strike the right balance between passing on his knowledge, but not interfering.
‘‘I’ll just do what I can on the field and then add some value if I can to guys, potentially not to the team all of the time.
‘‘They’re the ones leading the group and I’m just a small part of this team. If I can add a bit of value across it, then it certainly helps.’’
But Read’s experience will be invaluable this season, even if he’s not in the leadership role.
His knowledge of rugby could take him into coaching roles once he stops playing, but he said he was not sure if he wanted to go down that route when he eventually retires.
‘‘I’d like to stay involved in some way, I don’t know if it would be coaching,’’ he said.
‘‘I think it’s fairly similar to playing in terms of time away.
‘‘Maybe in the future, but when I do finish up in the next year or so, I’ll probably find something outside of the game for a while, so I can enjoy my family time.
‘‘It’s been 15 years of my life and I’m actually looking forward to doing something a bit different and I’m excited by that challenge as well.’’
‘‘It’s trying to perform as best I can and if we can put in good performances as a team, it always makes it more enjoyable to play.’’ Kieran Read