All Blacks coach Ian Foster on team to play Fiji. Video / All Blacks TV
George Bower is perseverance personified.
Once an extra in an All Blacks advert, the 29-year-old prop will make his first start for the national team when they meet Fiji this weekend in Dunedin.
It's the latest chapter in a rather remarkable story, which has seen him swoop on every opportunityhe has been afforded.
Growing up in Wellington before moving south, Bower was called into the Otago NPC squad in 2014 as injury cover, making his debut for the province off the bench. It was the only time he featured for the team that year.
His next appearance came three years later in the opening round of the 2017 campaign. It would be his only appearance of the season.
George Bower will start his first All Blacks test against Fiji on Saturday. Photo / Photosport
But as he kept plugging away and working on his craft, he was rewarded with more matches in 2018 and caught the attention of Crusaders assistant coach Jason Ryan, who suggested the club's head coach Scott Robertson bring him in for the 2019 Super Rugby season.
"I remember Razor [Robertson], I said pre-season that I wanted to bring George Bower in and he said 'who?'" Ryan recalled earlier this year.
Bower joined the team, but was at the bottom of the depth chart and saw little game time. Instead, he took the opportunity to learn from some of the best props in the country – with Joe Moody and Tim Perry both with the team in his first year as a Crusader.
Despite serving predominantly as a backup in his first two years with the club, he again garnered attention from important people in the game – earning a call-up to the All Blacks' travelling squad for the Tri Nations in late 2020. He didn't earn a cap, but absorbed as much information as he could, and spent time in the gym to add muscle.
This year, it was an injury to Moody to opened the door for Bower to show his abilities in a prolonged starting role. It was a door he strutted through, and he was again called in to the All Blacks squad – with the 29-year-old earning his first cap off the bench in the 102-0 win over Tonga last weekend.
All Blacks George Bower and Karl Tu'inukuafe say a prayer after the 102-0 win over Tonga. Photo / Photosport
Now, as Bower prepares to make his first start for the All Blacks on the familiar turf of Dunedin's Forsyth Barr Stadium, head coach Ian Foster gave a glowing review of how far he has come in the last year alone.
"He's growing in his confidence at scrum time, and that's been a big area for him," Foster said.
"Last year we put about 6kg on him just to improve some of the contacts, and now we're starting to see that's he's getting used to carrying that weight and now his impact in the collision area is growing. I know he wants to keep moving in that space, but that's the big area we've seen the growth."
Bower will join Crusaders teammate Codie Taylor and Blues prop Nepo Laulala in the front row against Fiji on Saturday night, in one of 13 changes to the starting 15 who beat Tonga.
"We looked at this series and decided it was a great opportunity to look at a variety of things we want to do both in terms of out tactical side, put some challenges in front of the players, and give them the opportunity if they prepared well and trained at a certain level," Foster said.
"It hasn't been locked in stone, but it certainly is a reward for some for the way they've presented themselves and trained, and it's a chance for us to use that attitude they've been showing to build some depth and give us some more options."
