Bryn Hall's biggest regret: 'To this day, it still really hurts because we had such a great team and it's unfortunate that we didn't get the job done'
Sitting on three Super Rugby titles in the last three years, it’s safe to say that Bryn Hall’s transition from the Blues to the Crusaders has been fairly successful.
The North Harbour halfback is in his eighth season of Super Rugby and spent his first four years with his native Blues side before making the move south.
While those years in Auckland didn’t reap too much on-field success for the 28-year-old, primarily due to a run of unfortunate injuries, they helped shaped Hall’s future with the Crusaders.
You have to go further back, however – before Hall was picked up by the Blues, before he even ran out in North Harbour colours for the first time – to get to the period that really helped forge the halfback’s passion for the game.
In fact, despite proudly donning the Harbour hibiscus since he turned professional, Hall grew up south of the Harbour Bridge and was schooled at St Peter’s College in Auckland.
In 2000, four years before Hall arrived at the school, St Peter’s won their first outright Auckland schools title, though they had previously shared first place in 1987 and 1988.
Since that 2000 win, however, the school had enjoyed little success on the rugby field – although that slowly started to change, coinciding with Hall’s entrance, as well as that of future stars such as Ben Lam, Patrick Tuipulotu and Peter and Francis Saili.
“I guess during my time at St Peter’s, we were fortunate enough that those boys were kept on together as a group,” Hall told RugbyPass.
“The best thing about St Peter’s for me was that we were all homegrown. I know Patty came from Western Springs College but Pete and all the other boys had come up together through U14’s, U15’s so we had a really good understanding of what the school was about.
“We didn’t win a lot to begin with but we stuck at it and went through the age groups together and had a real understanding of where we wanted to take the program.”
Things started to take a turn for the better as Hall and his teammates progressed through their schooling at St Peter’s.
By the time Hall had reached his final two years at the college, the squad had come together well and had enough quality amongst their ranks to be able to challenge for the title – but it wasn’t to be.
“We got ourselves in a position where we were a really good team and we were unfortunate not to win,” Hall said. “In fact, we probably choked actually in 2009.
“To this day, it still really hurts because we had such a great team and it’s unfortunate that we didn’t get the job done two years in a row.
“But it was still a great team to be a part of. The best thing about St Peter’s is that we actually are all still pretty good mates – which comes back to the school that we went to.”
The current global pandemic has hampered rugby at all levels of the game in 2020 but it’s perhaps the schoolboys that will feel the most hard-done by.
Anyone who watched 2019's Mitre 10 Cup would tell you that Lincoln McClutchie was one of the best first fives on display. Why, then, wasn't the pivot playing Super Rugby this year? @TomVinicombe reveals all. #SuperRugby #TopLeaguehttps://t.co/1hAsn0fWC6
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 7, 2020
Even if the current season of professional rugby were called off, most of the men and women involved would be back to fight another day.
For students who were looking forward to a final stint in their school’s first XV, however, their journeys may have come to an end.
In New Zealand, the national championships – the cream of the school rugby calendar – have already been called off and there’s still a very real possibility that contact sports will be absent from the calendar altogether.
That impact will be felt two-fold: the players themselves will naturally be hugely disappointed that everything they’ve been working towards, likely for a number of years, has come to the most anti-climactic of ends, but there’s also the fact that rugby-mad New Zealand will be lacking its most passion-inducing competition from the 2020 season.
“You gets the crowds and the passion and rivalries that you see at school because you’re at school with your mates every single day,” Hall said.
“Your close friends are your supporters on the sidelines and the men and women who teach you are there too and you’ve got a connection with them. It’s just so pure.
“I think when you start to go to professional rugby, you lose that a little bit and it becomes more of a business. Don’t get me wrong – playing for your home province and your club and your Super Rugby team is awesome but that ecstasy of playing with your mates and that kind of pure feeling, you just don’t quite get that.”
While Hall’s final years of college rugby didn’t quite go to plan, his seasons weren’t interrupted by any acts of God or global pandemics – but that doesn’t mean the losses haven’t left a mark or their own.
“When you get an opportunity to try and win for your school and you don’t get that job done, it still hurts,” Hall said.
“I’ve been gone a decade now but those memories are still embanked right in my core. I still remember, that’s for sure.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Gee my Highlanders were terrible. They have gone backwards since the start of the season. The trouble began when we left Millar behind to prep as the 10 against the Brumbies and he was disconnected from the team that came back from Aussie. We rested Patchell for that game and we blew an avalanche of ball in good attacking positions in the 1st half. Against the Rebels we seem to of gone into a pod system with forwards hanging off from the breakdown leaving Fakatava to secure our ball!
72 Go to commentsPot Kettle, the English and French teams have done it for years.
19 Go to commentsHas virtually played every minute of previous games. Back row of Li Lo Willie , Grace and Blackadder would be the 1. Crusaders issue is a very average 1st 5 who cannot run. Kicking in general play is also below par They need to put Yong Kemara in. He must have so.e talent for them to bring him down from Waikato. Hoehepa would struggle to play in so.e club sided
4 Go to commentsI hope this a good thing making all these changes!
2 Go to commentsThe Hurricanes are good, especially with a decent coach now. However, let’s be real, the Crusaders and Chiefs are clearly a good degree weaker without the players they’ve lost overseas now. The Canes lost one player. It’s also why the aussie teams ‘seem’ to be stronger.
9 Go to commentsOr you could develop your own players instead of constantly taking from the SH competition and weakening it in the process? With all the player and financial resources these unions have compared to SH countries you’d think they could manage that, or is weakening the SH comps and their national sides an added bonus? Probably.
3 Go to commentsNot so fast Aaron, we might need you in black yet lol. God knows he’d be a lot less nerve-racking than hot and (very) cold players like Perofeta. It’s really a shame Reuben Love isn’t playing 10, we’ve got enough 15 options.
4 Go to commentsAnd those from the NH still seem to be puzzled (and delighted) why NZ’s depth isn’t what it once was. Over 600 NZ players overseas, that’s insane. This sort of deal is why Super Rugby coaches have admitted they struggle now to find enough quality to fill out their squads.
6 Go to commentsArticle intéressant ! La question devrait régulièrement se poser pour les jeunes français originaires de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Wallis-et-Futuna et de Polynésie entre la Nouvelle-Zélande et la Métropole… Difficile pour la fédération française de rugby de se positionner : soit le choix est fait de dénicher les jeunes talents et de les faire venir très tôt en Métropole, au risque de les déraciner, soit on prend le risque de se les faire “piller” par les All Blacks qui, telle une araignée, essaye de récupérer tous les talents des îles du Pacifique… À la France de se défendre en développant l’aura du XV de France et des clubs français dans ses collectivités d’Outre-mer !
3 Go to commentsWrong bay. He needs to come to the REAL BAY which is Bay Of Plenty and have a crack at making the Chiefs.
3 Go to commentsIs Barrett going play full back??? They already have all the centers…
15 Go to commentsForgive my ignorance, I might not fully understand so would appreciate clarification: Didn’t the Bulls have to fly with three different carriers, paid for by the South African Rugby Union, whilst Edinburgh got a chartered flight sponsored by EPCR? Also, as far as I understand it South African teams don’t yet share in the revenue from the competition and are not allowed to host Semi-finals or Finals at home. Surely if everyone wants South Africans to “take the competition seriously” then they must make South Africans feel welcome, allow them to share in the revenue, and give them the same levels of access as the teams from the other countries. Just a reminder that South Africa has a large and passionate Rugby audience. Just by virtue of our teams being a part of these competitions means that more of us are likely to watch the knockout games, even if our teams haven’t qualified. It would be silly to alienate such a large audience by making them feel unwelcome.
19 Go to commentsFirst of all. This guy is very much behind the curve. All the bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning took place days ago already. Not adding anything to the topic other than more bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning. 🍼 Second of all, not one mention of the fact that South African teams can’t get home semi finals or finals. The tournament was undermined and devalued by the administrators. 🤡 Thirdly, football teams often have to juggle selections in mid week games, premier games, champions league games etc. and will from time to time prioritize certain titles over others. 🐒 And lastly FEK Neil, and anyone else for that matter, for insisting on telling teams how to manage themselves. If they make what is largely a business decision that suits them and doesn’t suit you - tough shite. 💩 It’s not rocket science as to why the Bulls did what they did. If this guy is too slow to figure it out (and is deliberately not mentioning one of the key reasons why) then he isn’t a journalist. He should join the rest of us pundit plebs in comments section. 🥴
19 Go to commentsSo the first door to knock on Rob is Parliament followed by HMRC. The Irish Revenue deliver a 40% tax relief rebate on the HIGHEST EARNING TEN YEARS of every pro Irish rugby players contract earnings at retirement. That goes a long way to both retaining their best talent and freeing up wages for marquee players. Who knows, if that had been in place in the UK, you might not have been able to poach Hoggy and Jonny Gray from Glasgow…!!!
3 Go to comments1. True, if that “free” ticket means access to all but the prized exhibit - EVIP only. SA cannot host semis, even if they’ve earned it (see Sharks vs ASM Clermont Auvergne at… Twickenham Stoop). 2. Why no selective outrage over Lyon doing the exact same thing a week earlier? Out of all the countries France send the most “B teams”, why nobody talking about “disrespect” and “prioritising domestic leagues” and “kicking them out”? 3. Why no mention of the Sharks fielding all of their Springboks for the second rate Challenge cup QF? No commitment? 4. Why no mention of all the SA teams qualifying for respective euro knock out comps in the two seasons they’ve been in it? How many euro teams have qualified for KO’s in their history? Can’t compete? 5. Why no mention of SA teams beating French and English giants La Rochelle and Saracens? How many euro teams have done that in their history? Add no quality? The fact is that SA teams are only in their second season in europe, with no status and a fraction of the resources. Since joining the URC, SA has seen a repatriation of a number of players, and this will only grow once SA start sharing in the profits of competing in these comps, meaning bigger squads with greater depth and quality, meaning they don’t have to prioritise comps as they have to now - they don’t have imports from Pacifica and South America and everywhere else in between like “European” teams have - also less “Saffas” in Prem and T14, that’s what we want right? 'If the South Africans are in, they need to be all in' True, and we have to ensure we give them the same status and resources as we give everyone else to do just that. A small compromise on scheduling will go a long way in avoiding these situations, but guess what, France and England wont compromise on scheduling because they ironically… prioritise their domestic comps, go figure!
19 Go to commentsthe success of the premiership can be summarized by : only 10 teams. It makes a huge difference with the overcrowded top 14 (let us not talk about Leinster and URC…)
1 Go to commentsGood for him. The ABs were fooling around again with converted fullbacks that had a penetration of a marshmallow. Laumape or as Aki has shown for Ireland, go forward is important in the centres. If it had been DMac - Aki- Aumua - Ioane- Telea- Jordan in France the final result would have been different.
4 Go to commentsDan Carter a apporté son professionnalisme, des méthodes de travail, un esprit qui manquaient à l’USAP. Son influence, même une fois blessé a été énorme. Et pour citer une anecdote, certains soirs il venait de lui-même à l’entraînement des jeunes pour dispenser ses conseils. On ne peut pas compter ce qu’il a apporté au club en heures de jeu sur le terrain. Est-ce que le club en a eu pour son argent ? Avec la publicité sur son nom et le titre, je suppose que oui.
1 Go to commentsThe SA sides are suffering from a bum rap here. There isn’t a side anywhere in the world that would do things differently in their shoes. They’ve been set up to fail in the EPCR comps by vested interests, with last minute intercontinental travel requirements that costs an arm and a leg to book in advance just on the possibility they might be required. And the total nonsense that denies any chance of home venues is entirely biased and absolutely unsporting. Either EPCR, the Top14 & the Gallagher Premiership get it sorted on a fair and equitable sporting basis for ALL participants or expect the ridicule to continue. Right now, these comps are a joke!
19 Go to commentsSA sides should do the right thing and leave the champions cup, they are lowering the standard with completely one sided games, not up to the right level. The greatest club tournament in the world is being banjaxed by the weak SA sides.
19 Go to comments