Cameron brings the Wright attitude back to the Sharks
DURBAN: In centuries past, a community would say “home is the hunter” when a warrior returned with a buck slung over his shoulder, while in biblical times it was a case of the Return of the Prodigal Son.
Both scenarios apply to Cameron Wright, an arrogant youngster who left Durban and the Sharks to pursue loftier dreams in France but three years later has returned to King Park with what he admits is an older and wiser head on his shoulders.
Wright – Sharks supporters will know – is the current starting scrumhalf for the team after initial first-choice Louis Schreuder seriously injured a hamstring in the early pre-season warm-up against the Bulls in Polokwane. Another pre-season casualty has been veteran scrumhalf Michael Claassens.
And that culminated in Wright starting against Racing 92 in the warm-up in Hong Kong, plus the crucial Super Rugby opener against the Lions last week.
In both games, the Westville born-and-bred youngster delivered excellent performances.
He is still just 23 and describes his humble upbringing in the less than salubrious surrounds of New Germany as humbling, and then later he went on to Westville Senior Primary which he regards as pivotal to his growth as rugby player.
“That took me to Westville Boys on a rugby scholarship, and then Hilton College offered me a dream bursary, and I spent three years at the elite boarding school,” Wright says.
“During this time I dreamed of becoming a Shark and was heavily influenced by our coach, Brad Macleod-Henderson, a former Sharks No 8.”
During his matric year, he was invited to join the Sharks Under-19 squad and made the daily trip to Kings Park to train with the age group team.
He made his Currie Cup debut in his first year out of school. Former Springbok coach Jake White was at the helm and when he left the Sharks sooner than expected he invited a few youngsters to join him at French club Montpellier.
“The agreement between John Smit and Jake was that I would always come back to the Sharks after a season or two of experience in France,” Wright says.
“It was both the best and worst of times for me in that the highly-structured rugby they played did not suit my natural game, which is to be an elusive, breaking, running scrumhalf,” Wright recalls.
“But it was an incredible experience playing with top Springboks in Bismarck and Jannie du Plessis, and Schalk van der Merwe, plus Pat Cilliers, Pedrie Wannenburg, Craig Burden, Wiaan Liebenburg, Bees Roux and Paul Willemse,” he recalls.
When White’s time was up at Montpellier, so too was Wright at the end of his contract. He could have found a gig in France but chose to return to Durban to fulfil his dream of a being a Shark and a Springbok.
“My time in France was life-changing in that I grew enormously as a player, and off the field I gradually changed from being an arrogant kid to being an adult who understood that the world did not revolve around him,” Wright said.
“When I was junior, it was all about what I could get out of the Sharks,” he admits.
“I returned as a much better rugby player and person, and now it is about what I can contribute to the Sharks. I am studying theology, God called me back to Durban, and my whole life philosophy has changed. For me, life is now about giving, not about looking for reward.”