NEW ZEALAND POST REPORTS

Rugby: Have boots, will travel

4:00 AM Sunday Feb 21, 2010
Sean Lineen headed to the UK in 1986 for his OE, where he joined the Boroughmuir club and picked up some labouring jobs. Photo / Getty Images
Scotland are again looking to a Kiwi backpacker to be their rugby saviour.

The beleaguered Scots, who were complicit in their dramatic late loss to Wales last week, have long had the makings of a good side but for their lack of a quality operator in the No 10 shirt.

In recent seasons they have tried, with limited success, Chris Paterson, Phil Godman and Dan Parks. All have flaws and have failed to navigate the team and provide the tactical direction required.

Which is why coach Andy Robinson is watching with great interest the progress of 22-year-old Frazier Climo.

The former New Plymouth Boys' High School pupil headed to Scotland 18 months ago after representing Taranaki under-20s.

He joined the high-flying Ayr club and is now recognised as the most promising No 10 in the country. He will begin training with Glasgow Warriors as a professional in March and will qualify for Scotland on residency grounds in 2012 - although there is some contention around the date as he returned to New Zealand for three months last year.

It was on that trip home that Taranaki moved to keep him. They offered him a basic professional contract and said they would look to play him on the wing.

He turned it down, believing his future is brighter in Scotland and what started as a backpacking trip to play some club rugby could become a permanent move with test caps and a major professional contract.

"He's a good kid," says New Plymouth Old Boys' (NPOB) coach Ross Lilley. "He's got a great nose for the gap.

"He's got gas and a big boot on him. The Taranaki coaches wanted to play him on the wing because they didn't feel his passing to his right was good enough for first five.

"Frazier decided to head back to Scotland and I wasn't surprised. I have been coach at NPOB for 10 years and he is one of the most talented players I have seen. He headed over there to have some fun and earn a little bit of coin but it could turn into something much more and I really hope he makes it."

Climo has indicated his commitment to staying in Scotland. While the Scots were losing to Wales in Cardiff, he was steering Ayr to a big win against Birmingham in the newly-formed British & Irish Cup for amateur club sides.

If he trains well with Glasgow, he is expected to be offered a full-time professional contract by head coach Sean Lineen, who is, of course, the original Kiwi backpacker who ended up playing test football.

FIVE BACKPACKERS WHO BECAME TEST STARS

1. Sean Lineen (Scotland)

The former Counties midfielder headed to the UK in 1986 for his OE. His first port of call was Pontypool in Wales but he shifted north to Edinburgh in 1988, where he joined the Boroughmuir club and picked up some labouring jobs.

He actually arrived in Edinburgh from New Zealand, was picked up at the airport and taken straight to training where he proceeded to throw up the copious amounts of alcohol he had drunk on the way over.

An inauspicious start was put behind him as he enjoyed a strong season with Boroughmuir and was selected for Edinburgh without even knowing he was qualified to play for Scotland.

He had a blinding debut for the capital side and Scotland coach Jim Telfer, who was in attendance, enquired about Lineen's lineage. A phone call to father Terry, a great All Black midfielder, confirmed that his father's father was of Scottish descent and Lineen was named in the side to play Wales in January 1989.

He formed a strong midfield partnership with Scott Hastings, won 29 test caps and, for a bloke who headed offshore with a backpack and not much else, has done rather well. He's now the head coach of Glasgow.

2. Nick Broughton (Scotland)

The Dunedin-born Broughton was barely known even in Otago before he headed off to Scotland after finishing varsity. He went to play for the famous Melrose club, who were keen on a foraging openside.

Broughton timed his move well. In 1995 Melrose were the top club in the country with tests stars Craig Chalmers and Doddie Weir in their ranks and Telfer as coach.

Broughton enjoyed a strong season but was as shocked as anyone to be named in the 1996 Scotland tour party for New Zealand.

It must have been a bit surreal for him - there he was hoping to sink a few beers and travel around Europe and he ended up back at Carisbrook as part of a Scotland team that were royally hammered by Christian Cullen and 14 other All Blacks.

3. John Gallagher (New Zealand)

The London-born and raised Gallagher, whose parents were Irish, came to New Zealand as a teenager to play for the Oriental-Rongotai club in Wellington. That was all he came to do - but he was such an obvious talent that Wellington picked him and he helped them win the 1996 NPC title.

These were the days of virtually no eligibility rules, so Gallagher, who hadn't played for any other country and seemed committed to New Zealand on the basis he had joined the police, was picked for the All Blacks.

He won 18 test caps and was part of the 1987 World Cup-winning team. Between 1987 and 1989 he was recognised as the best fullback in the world.

4. Jamie Salmon (England and New Zealand)

A bit like Gallagher, a teenage Salmon washed up in Wellington in 1978 with his backpack. And just like Gallagher, he won a place in the provincial side and became a regular, helping the Lions win the Ranfurly Shield.

A big midfield back for those days, his power and pace saw him selected for the New Zealand under-23s before full All Black selection came in 1980. He won three caps before he headed back to England.

He returned to New Zealand in 1985 with the English national team becoming the first and only man to play for both the All Blacks and England.

5. Glenn Metcalfe (Scotland)

Metcalfe had been a bit-part player for Waikato in the mid-1990s. He was originally a flanker but never quite big enough to succeed, so shifted to fullback.

He went to Scotland in 1997 to play club rugby for the Glasgow Hawks. It took him only a handful of games to persuade the professional Glasgow side he was good enough and by 1999 he was an integral member of the Scotland team that won the last Five Nations.

This article was originally posted on 4-Mar-2010, 08:22 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 4-Mar-2010, 11:18.