Newstalk ZB's D'Arcy Waldegrave and NZ's Herald's Bonnie Jansen get together to preview a packed weekend of sport.
Video / Gettyimages / NRL
James Fisher-Harris was in a western Sydney hardware store when he took one of the most important phone calls of his career.
He was on a day off – towards the end of the NRL finals series – when the number of Kiwis coach Michael Maguire flashed up on hisscreen. The subsequent conversation will always be remembered, as Maguire told the 27-year-old he would be the next Kiwis’ captain.
“I was out with my partner, we were shopping when I took the call,” Fisher-Harris told the Herald. “We were looking at tiles for a pool or something, trying to get things done before I left.”
The call may have been out of the blue but Fisher-Harris didn’t hesitate with his answer. The international game may not have the reverence it once had – scaled back in favour of the NRL season – but he remains one of the proudest men to pull on the black and white jersey.
“I’ve always wanted to be captain but it was surreal,” says Fisher-Harris. “It was weird, but I was ready.”
Ahead of the clash with Samoa on Saturday at Eden Park, Fisher-Harris appeals as a long-term leader, after a period of rotation since Simon Mannering’s international retirement.
Adam Blair was captain during the ill-fated 2017 World Cup – in Jesse Bromwich’s absence – before Dallin Watene-Zelezniak took over for the early part of Maguire’s tenure. Benji Marshall filled the role for three tests in 2019 before Bromwich returned for last year’s World Cup. Now the coast is clear for Fisher-Harris to stamp his mark.
Kiwis prop James Fisher-Harris during New Zealand's clash with Mate Ma'a Tonga Men at Mt Smart Stadium in June 2022.
As a fellow Northlander, he has always looked up to Blair – “I remember when he got the captaincy and I said, that’s where I want to be one day”. He is quiet and famously reserved but has quickly earned respect in team environments.
“He’s not much of a talker but his actions speak way louder,” says teammate Joseph Tapine, who made his Kiwis debut in 2016 alongside Fisher-Harris. “The mahi he does on the field and away from it speaks for itself. That’s why he is where he is. He is professional as. Not many people work harder than him so he pushes you to be better and do better. He ticks every box.”
Fisher-Harris has co-captained the Panthers on a few occasions and led the Kiwis in one pool match at last year’s World Cup, before a tandem leadership role with Tapine for the Māori All Stars match in Rotorua.
“I’ve had a little taste but this is pretty special,” admits Fisher-Harris. “I’m going to do what I do, not going to change much and be the best I can be for the team. With all the team stuff I am sweet, it is probably the media stuff that I will have to get used to, but I am just going to be me.”
Fisher has always been earmarked as a special talent – since he made his NRL debut in 2016 – but he has reached a new level in recent years, a cornerstone of Penrith’s remarkable premiership three-peat. He is often mentioned in conversations around the best prop in the game but deflects that talk.
NZ Kiwis captain James Fisher-Harris. Photo / Brett Phibbs, www.photosport.nz
“I reckon there are a couple of boys ahead of me, that I am still chasing,” said Fisher-Harris. “I’m hunting them. I’m in a great team so that makes me stand out a little bit.”
But he has yet to peak, which is an exciting prospect for the Kiwis.
“I’m still learning,” said Fisher-Harris. “I’m a student of the game, especially in terms of internationals. I haven’t reached my potential yet. I’m still striving for a lot of things.”
He is also incredibly resilient. Fisher-Harris has featured in the last four grand finals, with international football on top of that. After a long World Cup campaign, his season started this year on February 11 with the All Stars match and is still going now, via an epic premiership decider.
“I’ve played a lot of footy over the last three years,” says Fisher-Harris. “[But] I’m really in a good space now, my mind is clear and I am ready to go. Me and [fellow prop] Moses [Leota], we talk about it a little bit, we would rather play than train. That is our mentality, that’s what we do, roll with the punches.”
Fisher-Harris will be key on Saturday. Samoa are missing some backline names but have plenty of punch in the pack and their forward effort was key to their epic World Cup run last year, when they made history to reach the final against the Kangaroos.
The Kiwis’ test is the third act of a triple header, with the Kiwis’ A side against Tonga A at 1.30pm before the Kiwi Ferns face their Tongan counterparts at 3.45pm.
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns. He has also reported on the Warriors and NRL for more than a decade.
