Chiefs fullback Isaac Hutchinson stars on ‘surreal’ debut with try-saver

Isaac Hutchinson is a product of the First XV program at St Bede’s College in Christchurch, going on to play for the New Zealand U20s and provincial rugby for Canterbury. As fate would have it, the outside back was named to debut in The Garden City over Super Round.

But Hutchinson wasn’t wearing the iconic red and black strip of the Crusaders, who played in the inaugural game at One New Zealand Stadium against the NSW Waratahs on Friday. Instead, Jono Gibbes named the 22-year-old in the Chiefs starting side to face the Fijian Drua.

Hutchinson made the move to Hamilton, seizing the “awesome opportunity” and embracing the independence that comes with living out of home. While a serious knee injury delayed any chance of a debut for a while, the Cantab made the most of the chance when it finally came.

With All Blacks first five-eighth Damian McKenzie and powerhouse centre Quinn Tupaea among the others in the starting side, Hutchinson was named at fullback. Chiefs coaches didn’t give the debutant any heads up of the selection call either, before the team was named this week.

“It’s really special,” Hutchinson told RugbyPass in Christchurch.

“I didn’t get told at all that I wasn’t going to make my debut and then out of nowhere starting 15, so I was on the blower straight to mum and dad telling them I’m coming home. A few tears, a few bits of yelling and stuff but just excitement really.

“It just built up from finding out on Tuesday to leading up into getting on the plane and coming back down. Pretty surreal, pretty emotional but just so glad to be back.”

With the Chiefs leading 14-10 midway through the first half, Hutchinson produced a remarkable defensive play that changed the game completely. Drua scrum-half Frank Lomani picked off a Cortez Ratima pass and appeared to be away for a five-pointer.

If you watch this play back, you can see Hutchinson momentarily standing still in the backfield before instinctively jumping into a sprint. The Chiefs debutant came across in cover and, quite incredibly, managed to force Lomani’s boot into touch.

“I didn’t expect it. I thought he got it to be honest,” Hutchinson told RugbyPass.

“They’re like, ‘We’re reviewing for a knock-on there.’ I was like, ‘Oh sweet, probably a couple of phases back’ and then looked, ‘That’s my tackle in the corner!’ I was, ‘Oh, beauty!’

“I didn’t expect it but I’m just happy that I got it done.”

It’s a moment the man himself admits he will probably watch back a few times. There were some highlight-worthy contributions from Hutchinson in attack as well, dragged down just shy of the try line during the first half.

Hutchinson had seemingly done enough to touch down two minutes into the second half, but the TMO called it back. Drua fullback Ilaisa Droasese slipped over and lost the ball, which dropped at Hutchinson’s feet.

But replays showed Droasse had grounded the ball within the in goal. The Chiefs were awarded an attacking scrum just five metres out, which led to points anyway through Daniel Sinkinson in the 44^th minute.

“I was just so happy straight away. I looked at where my family and partner and family friends were and pointed to them,” Hutchinson reflected.

“I was stoked and saw they’re reviewing it and I was like, ‘Oh surely not.’ But I mean that’s footy, you can’t do much about it so just focused on the next job and got on from there.

“It is what it is, that’s footy and the TMO is there for a reason, got to make sure that everything’s going to plan.”

Former All Blacks Sevens flyer Tepaea Cook-Savage scored the Chiefs’ only other try of the half, as they held on for a clinical 42-22 win. The Chiefs sit second on the Super Rugby Pacific ladder with only a handful of rounds left in the regular season.