18 April, 2024

North Shore recruit selected for national under-20s

Up and comer… At just 19, Cameron Christie has already played for North Harbour and has a long-term goal of playing Super Rugby

A new arrival at North Shore Rugby Club has been called up to the under-20 New Zealand side for the Rugby Championship U20 tournament in Australia next month.
Lock Cameron Christie, who joined the Shore premiers this year after playing for Silverdale last season, first made a name for himself when he was picked for the New Zealand Secondary School team in 2022, while playing for the Orewa College first XV.
He went on to make three appearances last season for the North Harbour NPC team.
The 19-year-old told the Flagstaff he had been attracted to Shore by the club’s systems and facilities.
He has enjoyed training alongside James Fiebig, who he played with at North Harbour last season, and fellow Blues under-20 players Cam Howell and Hunter Rice, who have all helped make him feel welcome.
Christie hopes to debut for Shore in the middle of the season.
That first game will be after his time with the U20 side, who will play against Argentina, South Africa and Australia on the Sunshine Coast, and before a New Zealand team heads to the World Rugby U20 Championship in South Africa in late June and July, when Shore will hope to be contesting the North Harbour play-offs.
“I’m hoping to play a handful of games,” he says.
He flew to Wellington this week to join up with his U20 teammates.
“I’ve never been to Australia before so I’m really excited.”
He wants to play well so as to secure selection for the world event.
He said the team was looking to make a statement, after New Zealand sides under performed in recent tournaments.
Christie’s long-term goal is to break into Super Rugby.
He credited being in the national schoolboys side with helping him develop a professional approach and giving him a taste of higher-level rugby.
“Little things like being punctual, being really deliberate with your training,” he said.
“And obviously the game itself it’s a lot quicker, there’s a lot bigger players and it’s more physical. You don’t have much time to process things you’re just in amongst it.”

• North Shore premiers began its North Harbour championship defence last weekend with a solid 40-7 away win over Kumeu.
  The premiers’ first home game is this Saturday against Helensville with kickoff at Vauxhall Rd at 2.45pm.