Rugby: NZ X-factor boosts contest

Northampton took on Munster in British rugby overnight with two of the most successful New Zealand imports - Bruce Reihana and Doug Howlett - squaring off.

When the pair came face to face at Thomond Park in the centrepiece of this European quarter-final weekend, the earth surely moved for aficionados of wing play - and Reihana will be thinking of anything but the All Blacks.

Northampton, the last English team in the competition, will have been looking to their New Zealander to lead their attack.

He and Howlett are "X-factor performers", insofar as they can be categorised at all: they are box-office attractions, recognised as such by the paying public who know that if the ball is there to be run, these blokes will run it.

To many, it beggars belief that Reihana made only two test appearances as an All Black, against France and Italy a decade ago.

Part of his story at international level is shot through with rotten luck: he found himself caught between an old guard of staggering quality - Jeff Wilson, Tana Umaga, some bloke called Lomu - and a new wave spearheaded by Howlett and Joe Rokocoko.

But there was also a sense of bitter frustration at his treatment by the national selectors, and it was this that drove him abroad.

"I thought I had my chances of winning more caps under Wayne Smith, who was my favourite coach - pretty much everyone's favourite coach - back then," he says. "But Wayne left the New Zealand set-up and the people who came in told lies.

"They assured a few of us that they'd pick on form, that we'd play for the All Blacks if we stacked up against our rivals. It didn't turn out that way; it quickly became obvious that the playing field wasn't level. I've seen a lot of people who should have made the All Blacks but didn't because of changes in the coaching structure.

"I didn't want to be one of the 'could have, should have' guys: I wanted to achieve things. That's when Wayne gave me a call. He was working with Northampton and I was happy to join him."

Reihana has felt the pull of home "I actually signed to go home to Hamilton four or five years ago," he reveals.

"My family circumstances changed, and I decided to stay here and I haven't regretted it. Could I have made the New Zealand side had I stuck to my original plans? I think about it but this Northampton thing is so rewarding, I'm not sure I'd have had a greater feeling of achievement had I returned. This place - the crowd, the passion for the game out there in the community - reminds me of Waikato in the old days. So close-knit and tight together.

"The place has a rugby soul and ultimately, that's what kept me here. When we were down in the second division, virtually every other[opposing] team had record crowds because of the number of Northampton supporters following us around.

"The standard of rugby wasn't too hot: it was a nice experience in a 'back to grassroots' kind of way, but if I'm honest, it was the easiest stuff I'd played in years. But to see 4000 Northampton supporters in the car park beforehand, all of them telling us they were with us all the way ... there were times when it made me cry."

Just turned 34 - he celebrated his birthday on Tuesday - Reihana has made more than 200 appearances for the Midlanders and is six points shy of the 1000 mark. Reihana would rather beat Munster with tries than penalties.

"We have the potential to win. One of the reasons I'm on the wing, rather than at fullback, is Ben Foden's ability to counter-attack from deep. Chris Ashton [who made his England debut on the wing in Paris last month], is someone with a try-scoring ability that's unique.

"His instinct when it comes to following the ball and putting himself in the right place near the line ... it's something I've never seen before, not even in New Zealand."

- INDEPENDENT