Canterbury coach Mark Brown has shared some words of advice for Eddie Osei-Nketia amid reports of the Kiwi sprinter exploring a switch to a career in rugby.
Osei-Nketia, who played rugby at Scots College in Wellington, is in talks with the Crusaders about a rugby career after notbeing nominated for the Tokyo Olympic Games by the New Zealand Olympic Committee.
Speaking about the possible switch, Brown said he did not personally know Osei-Nketia, but if he was serious about making the change in sports it should be something he committed fully to.
"The first thing for him would be to make a career shift and commit to being a rugby player. Things will look after themselves from there," Brown said.
"He'd be fast. I think he comes from a rugby background but, honestly, I don't know too much about him ... but anyone who gets him wouldn't be starting from scratch."
The 20-year-old has slammed the Olympic selectors after being snubbed for the Japan Games, despite having qualified under the international ranking system.
Both he and fellow sprinter Zoe Hobbs were eligible to compete at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, both qualifying through their respective world rankings, but were not nominated by the NZOC.
Osei-Nketia confirmed he had been giving the switch some serious thought.
"I've actually been thinking about it a lot, wearing the red and playing down in Christchurch in the cold," he told RugbyPass.
"It'd be a massive honour to play for one of the best teams of all-time in Super Rugby, helping them out and being a part of the Christchurch community.
"I need to get there first I need to work hard grind hard; I just need to be on top. I need to be studying the game … putting my mind on small thing so I can get there one day.
"If I go through the (Crusaders) academy, I could change into a very, very talented rugby player."
