Rugby: Kawakawa teenager eyes sevens future

Jack Goodhue

Kawakawa's Jack Goodhue might have a golden future ahead of him in rugby sevens.

The 19-year-old was one of a bunch of newcomers selected in the New Zealand squad for last weekend's Wellington round of the IRB Sevens World Series and his debut performance was so sparkling that he now has a realistic shot of winning a gold medal in Rio.

"Of course it's crossed my mind but we've just got to see what happens, how things progress in the next few tournaments and hopefully I can stick around - but Rio seems like a long, long way away at the moment," he said.

When he entered the pre-competition camp the best Goodhue had hoped for was to make the bench and maybe make the field for a stint or two against the lesser teams in pool play.

Instead he scored the try that secured the lead in the tight semifinal against South Africa and was one of coach Gordon Tietjens' secret weapons.

"It's still unreal to be honest. I don't think it's fully sunk in yet but I'm trying to relax a bit now really and hopefully it will become a bit more real in the coming days."

While Goodhue may not have attracted the adulation in the press that 17-year-old Rieko Ioane did, the responsibility he showed when Tim Mikkelson and then captain DJ Forbes were sidelined with injury, and his aggressive defence during the tournament, was exceptional.

All of the debutantes - Dylan Collier, Ioane, Goodhue and Beaudein Waaka - showed experience beyond their years.

"All the new guys really stepped up and all the families that came down to share in it were all really proud and stoked that we won," Goodhue said.

His parents and a couple of siblings made the trip to the capital, including Northland rugby representative and elder brother Cam, who Goodhue said was at his patronising best.

"He always lets us know that he makes 10 per cent of everything that we earn and it was all his hard work when we were younger that's beginning to pay off now," he laughed.

Goodhue is still looking forward to playing in the Under-20 World Cup in Italy, if selected, and that will be one of the focuses of his season - before the ITM Cup starts again, where he will represent Canterbury.

He is attending Lincoln University, studying for an Agricultural Science degree and when he completes the degree may be able to fulfil a long-held goal.

"Coming up to play for the Taniwha has always been an aim of mine, it's my home, that's where I was born and bred and I certainly haven't forgotten that."

He was contracted to play in the ITM Cup for Canterbury last year and made an immediate impact, before returning home over the summer break and earning a temporary release to play sevens for Northland. He found immediate success in the Cambridge Blue at the national sevens and was singled out for praise by coach Peter Nock.

It seems that the Kawakawa lad also impressed Tietjens and, if he continues in the same vein as the Wellington tournament, there may be gold - and more - on the horizon.