An All Black day dawns for our Liam Messam

Liam Messam's mum says he once wanted to change his name to Jonah Lomu. She told him if he worked hard he could be an All Black himself one day.

That day has arrived for the 24-year-old Waikato Chiefs loose forward and former Rotorua Boys' High School student.

An "excited" Messam said yesterday he couldn't remember exactly when he first started dreaming about being an All Black but it was "probably the first time I passed a ball around". Lomu was an inspiration, he said.

Messam is one of seven new caps named for the All Blacks' season-ending tour to Hong Kong, Great Britain and Ireland.

Speaking from fellow All Black Richard Kahui's car on the way to Auckland to meet up with the rest of the squad yesterday, Messam admitted he'd been nervous about the prospect of hearing his name being read out. While he knew he was in the mix, he'd not taken anything for granted, he said.

Messam's selection came as no surprise to his First XV coach, Rotorua Boys' High principal Chris Grinter.

"It was pretty predictable," Grinter told The Daily Post. "This has been a campaign by Liam to become an All Black. He's chipped away at it until he's made it and I think that is pretty special."

Grinter said it was "the ultimate achievement" for a New Zealand rugby player to become an All Black. "To become a true professional in the sport of rugby, is both deserved and to be applauded. Liam has done it so well," he said. Messam said Grinter was a real influence on his development from "boy with baby fat" to professional athlete.

"He got me being more professional. He was a good coach, a hard man but a good one," Messam said of his former mentor.

Grinter said Messam's selection marked the continuation of a very strong period for rugby at the school.

"In the last 10 to 15 years [Boys' High] has been one of the best rugby schools in the country, if you look at appearances in the national top four and national titles. One of the outcomes you hope from that period of domination is players being selected in the All Blacks and so now, out of that period, Craig Newby and Liam Messam have come through.

"That supports and encourages those who are at school now and not only want to achieve in rugby but in any sport."

Grinter said the school would look at some way to bring Messam back to the school to celebrate his achievement.

"It's been a pretty special year for recent old boys doing great things," said Grinter of a period which has seen four Olympians, a US Amateur golf champion title and now All Blacks honours going to former students of the school.

One of the Olympians was Messam's brother Sam who played soccer for the All Whites.

"To have those two brothers come through in two different sports to the level they have come through is just wonderful," Grinter said.

Messam's mother Wanda Messam said the family was extremely proud.

Both Liam and his younger brother Sam had done extremely well, she said.

"It's quite amazing really."

Liam had wanted to be an All Black "right from when he was a little boy".

"He told us one day he wanted to change his name to Jonah Lomu. I said if he worked and played hard enough he would get there himself.

"We thought it was a long time coming, he has been spoken about for a few years now," she said.



Messam might have ended up playing soccer with his brother if it were up to their mum. "All the kids played soccer but by intermediate school he went to rugby. I thought it was a bit rough. When I look back now there were more accidents with the kids that played soccer rather than with Liam," she said.