Emerging Blues star credits Scotland stint for growing through youthful impatience

It’s typical of the season Cole Forbes is having that he should find himself in the right place at the right time.

In the Blues’ nerve-racking and pivotal 31-27 Super Rugby Pacific victory over the Hurricanes at Eden Park, he scored a try late in the first half shortly after replacing injured fullback Zarn Sullivan. The Blues were down to 14 players for ten minutes following a yellow card to Akira Ioane.

Forbes has played all 11 matches for the table-topping Blues, also scoring a try in their slender 41-34 victory against the Reds in Brisbane.

Stanley Solomon on New Zealand’s Mamba Mentality | TRC U20

Stanley Solomon on New Zealand’s Mamba Mentality | TRC U20

Forbes returned to New Zealand in 2023 after two and half seasons in Scotland with the Glasgow Warriors. He missed half the NPC season with Bay of Plenty due to a hamstring injury but did enough to pique the interest of Blues selectors. He’s proved to be a revelation.

“When you look at the All Blacks in our squad it can be pretty daunting for a new player coming in. I was confident if I had a good preseason, I could push for a place in the matchday 23 and go from there. The URC is not a bad comp” Forbes told Rugby Pass.

“I came through the Bay of Plenty Academy and debuted for the Steamers in 2018. I wasn’t getting much game time and all you want to do when you’re a kid is play rugby. My grandad was born in Scotland and my mate Hugh Blake put in a good word for me at Glasgow. I went over for a trial and stayed for two and a half years.

“In Glasgow, I learned a lot about playing in front of big crowds and in heavy conditions. The game is more about set-piece and territory which expanded my skillset. I flew under the radar because in Glasgow football is king. You only get noticed if you’re a British and Irish Lion.”

Blake is a Scottish international out of Hamilton Boys’ High School.

Forbes is a product of Tauranga Boys College and Te Puke Sports, the same club as All Blacks Nathan Harris and Aidan Ross. In 2017 Forbes was part of the Bay of Plenty team that won the National Under 19 tournament in Taup?. The following season he was selected for the New Zealand Under-20’s but his senior breakthrough proved harder to come by.

“The Bay of Plenty 19s was special with the likes of Emoni Narawa, Tevita Mafileo and my good mate Leroy Carter,” Forbes reflected.

“I was picked as a ten but swapped around with Kaleb Trask at which point I put ten away and focussed on fullback. My game is better suited to fullback. There is more space, more running and less organising.

“The 19’s was a good platform to launch my career, but I was a little impatient. My time in Scotland helped me grow up a lot.”

Forbes only played five matches in his first stint at Bay of Plenty from 2018 to 2020: Northland (38-35 & 46-22), Wellington (10-32), Manawatu (53-35) and Canterbury (44-8).

At Glasgow, he started 36 of his 38 appearances (22 wins) and scored 11 tries. Glasgow made the semi-finals of the United Rugby Championship in 2022-23.

Forbes hit the ground running with the Blues. He scored tries in both pre-season wins on the Japanese tour against Suntory (43-7) and Canon Eagles (57-22).

He was a reserve in the first six games of Super Rugby Pacific where his personal highlight was 40 minutes in the 26-6 victory over the Crusaders at Eden Park. The Blues hadn’t beaten the Crusaders in Auckland since 2014.

Injury to Zarn Sullivan presented Forbes with four consecutive starts. His try against the Reds might be one of the most important in the Blues season.

“That’s one we got away with,” Forbes reflected.

“You can’t take the Aussie teams lightly at home. They seem to grow another leg in their own backyard. I’m not sure why they’re so much harder to beat at home but you look at the Brumbies. We beat them 46-7 and then they go and beat the unbeaten Hurricanes a week later in Canberra.

“We want to be the best team in this competition and to do that you’ve got to win games on the road.

“We’re not getting carried away. Vern Cotter and the coaching staff have created a really good culture. When we click, it’s hard to stay with us.”