Hanging on in there

The sun-bleached hair says Durban, the heart, though, is leaning towards Auckland. Greg Rawlinson, the Blues and North Harbour lock, is chasing both New Zealand citizenship and a black jersey.

He's leaning towards Aotearoa after receiving vague and slightly confusing messages from the Springboks earlier this year.

In London for Jonah Lomu's comeback game, the South African-born and raised Rawlinson received a phone call from Springbok coach Jake White.

"He wanted me to come back to South Africa," said Rawlinson. "But I wasn't quite happy with that because it was really because someone was injured. I wasn't quite sure where I stood. He couldn't really tell me that or offer me anything.

"It was quite tempting. I really had to think about it but there were still a few things in New Zealand I wanted to achieve. Getting New Zealand citizenship is a really big thing for me."

No overtures have yet been made by the All Black selectors as they, like Rawlinson, are waiting to see how the IRB determine his eligibility status.

The 2.02 metre lock had a season with Bay of Plenty in 2002 and then returned to South Africa.

His agent has been tasked with discovering whether his time with the Bay will count towards his three-year residency requirement.

The initial feedback suggests it won't, which means he won't become eligible for the All Blacks until this time next year.

By then he will be 28 - possibly in his prime or possibly heading over the hill. The good oil says in his prime as Rawlinson has slowly but surely won his admirers in the last two years.

He carries the ball well, is efficient at the lineout and gets through a mountain of work. His rise to prominence has been gradual rather than dramatic, largely because it has taken time for Rawlinson to absorb the curious anomalies of life in New Zealand.

"I grew up in Durban and was a bit out of the system. I didn't play any age-grade rugby for representative or provincial teams so I had to move away to get a contract.

"I had an offer from Bay of Plenty so I thought I would take that and see what happened. When I got the chance to play at North Harbour I couldn't see the point in going back to South Africa.

"I wouldn't say that I have settled in fully. I am definitely enjoying it a lot better now but it has taken a long while to settle in.

"I'd lived in Durban until I was 23. I had never lived away from home before. It was a challenge meeting new people and experiencing a different way of life and a different rugby culture.

"I grew up thinking about the Springboks and wanting to be a Springbok. But I'm in a different country now and my perceptions have changed a little bit. But right now that is all talk."

Harbour's clash against Waikato today will be one of the bigger contests in Rawlinson's NPC career.

The loser can pretty much kiss goodbye to making the playoffs.

Given the support Rawlinson has had from Harbour, he's keen to do his bit and help them into the top four.

He will need to subdue the Waikato leapers and then ensure the NPC's heaviest pack don't just lumber around the field from one set-piece to the next.

If Harbour can deliver quality possession, they know that the quality in their midfield - Luke McAlister, Rua Tipoki and Anthony Tuitavake - has the creative flair and cutting edge to do colossal damage.

Rawlinson, though, isn't prone to in-depth analysis.

His assessment on today is much simpler. "This is an absolutely huge game for us and it's big for them too. We have to win."

- HERALD ON SUNDAY