Rugby: Englishman makes his mark with NZ's finest

Matt Symons says his rowing background has given him a strong work ethic. Picture / Getty Images

Chiefs skipper eligible to play for All Blacks in May and is mulling future

The English Premiership academy system is rightly lauded for its success in promoting domestic talent - last season qualified players made up more than 70 per cent of squads - but an unintended consequence has been to narrow the pathway available for late developers to get a foot on the ladder.

Matt Symons is one such player to have slipped the net. At 17, the second row was, by his own admission, "a lanky rake". He was let go by the Saracens and after a short spell in British Rowing's talent identification programme, which added plenty of muscle to his 2.03m frame, was picked up by Esher. With seemingly little prospect of earning a Premiership contract, Symons took a punt by joining his brother playing amateur club rugby in New Zealand.

That was three years ago. Last weekend, Symons captained the Chiefs in a 23-18 victory against the Blues in the opening round of Super Rugby matches. In a country where foreigners are rarely promoted at the expense of domestic talent, that is a huge mark of respect.

"Obviously I am really stoked," Symons told the Daily Telegraph. "I guess it doesn't feel like I am an Englishman because I am part of the team. It is kind of weird when you think about it from the outside where I was and where I am now."

In May, Symons becomes eligible to play for New Zealand. It is a decision he is still mulling. "I am in the process of thinking about it at the moment but no decisions have been made."

He shared a coffee with Graham Rowntree, the England forwards coach, during last summer's tour but says the conversation revolved mainly around lineouts. To make matters more complicated, Tom Coventry, the Chiefs forwards coach who has been made London Irish's director of rugby, wants to bring Symons with him to the Exiles.

It is clear the debt of gratitude that Symons feels he owes New Zealand. From playing for High School Old Boys RFC, the 25-year-old was picked up by Canterbury to play in the ITM Cup, which in turn led to him being spotted by the Chiefs.

"I am a big supporter of the late developers," Symons said. "There are a lot of kids out there who are in a similar situation to me. English clubs put a lot of money and time into their academy players and many of them come through very well but there has to be opportunities for guys who do develop later.

"I think New Zealand caters well for both."

He is also thankful for his experience in the British Rowing's World Class Start programme for providing him with staggering fitness levels.

"It is a bloody tough sport. Brutal would only just cover it. Those guys don't get enough credit for what they have to go through. That rowing background gave us all a good base in how hard those Olympic athletes train. The amount of dedication you need to succeed in rowing, if you can have that mindset and transfer it to other sports it gives you a really good work ethic."

There have been a few pinch-yourself moments along the way, but Symons says that the down-to-earth nature of his teammates means that he has never been starstruck by training alongside Williams or partnering Brodie Retallick, the World Rugby Player of the Year, in the second row.

The All Blacks' no dickheads rule also applies to the franchises. "What people would be amazed by is the humility of top rugby players over here," Symons said.

"Sonny is there first and leaves last pretty much every day. He is very studious.

"All the All Black boys are really down to earth, work really hard and no hint of an ego. I find that really inspiring."