Super Rugby Pacific, the Black Caps and White Ferns are in action this weekend as Newstalk ZB's Kate Wells and Elliott Smith preview what's to come. Video / NZ Herald
Chris Wood understands if people were underwhelmed, or even dismayed, when Newcastle United signed him last month because he could not believe it was going to happen either.
At the age of 30, Wood had not expected to leave Burnley and had no idea he was on Newcastle's wanted list until 48 hours before he made the £25m (NZ$51m) move.
Like everyone else, he had seen the superstar players the Magpies were linked with. It was fantasy football stuff and he knew better than anyone that he is no superstar.
But what has happened since has been pragmatic rather than showbiz, as Newcastle spent £93m in January on players they thought could get them out of relegation trouble. It was a transfer policy to address the problems they had rather than the dreams they wanted to realise. No player epitomised that more than Wood.
"When the takeover happened, I could not have envisaged I would be one of the first signings," said Wood, whose lack of goals should not distract from the fact Newcastle have taken ten points from the four games he has played.
"I'd read the rumours about Mbappe and Haaland and all that sort of stuff. It made you smile, I suppose, on the outside looking in. Newcastle were not in my thoughts at all. The interest came as a surprise and it all happened very quickly - in the space of 48 hours. Callum [Wilson] got the injury, Newcastle needed another striker with some presence to lead the line and it was done two days later.
"I'm obviously not in the same bracket as either of those two, I accept that 100 per cent, I am very different, but I was brought in to do a specific job and because I knew the Premier League. I was brought in to fight. Newcastle wanted players to make an impact immediately. It has been very pragmatic. They didn't look to make glitzy signings if you like. We are in a relegation battle. It's all very well signing players from abroad, but maybe they will need time to settle."
Chris Wood says he's loved his time with Newcastle so far. Photo / Getty
Wood signed a two-and-a-half-year contract after Newcastle forced Burnley to sell by activating a £25m release clause. Wood knows why he is there. If Newcastle go on to achieve the things they aspire to do, this season will not feature prominently when the history books are written, but that does not matter now.
"Hopefully the dream signings can come later on when the club is more established," Wood added. "They have grand plans and know where they want this club to be in the years to come, but they [the owners] are not ones to get carried away. It is the here and now which mattered and that's what they addressed in January.
"The club is going to progress and I'm sure the fans are already dreaming of playing in Europe. But if you look at Chelsea, Man City and PSG, it takes time. You have to build gradually, on and off the pitch.
"We'd like to be pushing for Europe next season, but in reality, we just have to keep progressing. Hopefully in five years, we will be challenging for silverware, playing in Europe, that is what the new owners want. The players know that. We will add more players, maybe some big names, but we will take it year on year. What you saw in January, is that the club didn't just sign good players, they signed good characters too."
Chris Wood walks out onto the pitch at St James' Park for the first time. Photo / Getty
Wood is certainly that. He brings an Antipodean attitude to his work. Humble and understated, he is relaxed, and occasionally jovial, as we talk about his upbringing in New Zealand and the influence rugby had, despite his early love of football.
"It's New Zealand, rugby is a rite of passage," he explained. "I played when I was at school. You'd probably be picked on if you didn't, but it was always football that was my passion.
"Rugby helps shape you. Kiwis are brought up to think of the team rather than the individual. We're brought up on the history of the All Blacks, how humble they are and how united they are. It rubs off on you. It helps foster this attitude that you have to be there for each other and work for each other. It had a huge effect on my personality and what I do as a footballer."
It is that attitude that made him manager Eddie Howe's first choice centre forward target. Howe's core principle is that the team comes before the individual. That is Wood in a nutshell.
"Ultimately the name on the front of the shirt is way more important than the name on the back of it," he declared. "It is a fundamental part of how I approach my game.
"The more I do for this team, the more benefits will come and the more likely it is we will stay up. The more chances I will get to score goals too. I will work my socks off for this team, I will track back, I will defend, I will fill in where needed. That's a big part of it for me. I've signed a two and a half year contract. I'm focused on the next six months but I want to be the focal point, that number 9 for the team next season.
"I know other players are going to be brought in to improve the squad, there will be other players brought in up top, but that will bring more out of me. I'm here to stay for the whole contract. I'd like to sign an extension. I want to be part of the journey this club is on and see where it takes me."
Despite not scoring a goal for his new club just yet, Chris Wood has helped Newcastle to an impressive string of results so far. Photo / Getty
If Wood is the right striker for Newcastle at this moment in their evolution, Howe is the right manager. His impact on the training ground has been immense and a self confessed "football geek" he has a level headed personality to cope with the scrutiny on Tyneside.
"The manager is great, he really is," added Wood. "He is first and foremost a coach, he loves coaching, he loves getting his hands on players and improving them.
"The attention to detail is huge. It probably goes under the radar but the small things he changes in game, the small changes he makes from game to game to adapt to different teams and styles. It's huge. Every week, we are making little pieces of the puzzle to make us better against different opponents. He's so intricate with the way he thinks and how he prepares us."
Wood also revealed it is not just the players and manager who have turned Newcastle's season around, with three successive victories lifting them out of the bottom three.
"The atmosphere at SJP is fantastic, it really is," Wood gushed. "On my debut against Watford, it was good, very good, but when we played against Everton it felt like a European game. The noise, the passion, the atmosphere, it was huge.
"I actually stood there for a few seconds just enjoying it. It's something you've heard about, how passionate the fanbase is, but to actually experience it is incredible for a footballer. That was why we beat Everton and Aston Villa. They got us over the line. The noise was unrelenting. Teams don't like coming here at the best of times but when the crowd is like it is now… it's so intimidating.
"I've been on the receiving end of it many times. It's a massive thing for us. Speaking to the players who have been here for a while, it has changed in the last few months. It's different to what it was, they sense it, we all can. This is a snowball gathering momentum. Seeing where it can lead to is going to be amazing, it's only going to get better on and off the pitch."
Everyone at Newcastle hopes that the last sentence is prophetic rather than wishful thinking.
