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How ‘mentor’ Stephen Donald helped Shaun Stevenson find career-best form
After taking his game to an all-new level in Super Rugby Pacific this season, Chiefs fullback Shaun Stevenson has revealed one of the secrets behind his new-found success.
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Led by the likes of Stevenson and playmaker Damian McKenzie, the Chiefs started the season with 10 straight wins – although the Super Rugby beast was slain by the Reds in New Plymouth last Friday.
But that one defeat is a minor blip on an otherwise idyllic campaign, which has included two tough wins over the champion Crusaders.
The Chiefs looked unbeatable for a majority of this season, and are still widely considered the favourites to dethrone the Crusaders as Super Rugby Pacific champions.
Throughout their impressive winning streak over three months, which saw the Chiefs play some highly entertaining rugby, Stevenson was arguably their best player.
Stevenson is equal-first with Crusaders winger Leicester Fainga’anuku for tries scored this season with 10, and is also in the top 10 for carries, running metres and offloads.
After starting the season in career-best form, the 26-year-old has emerged as a genuine All Blacks bolter ahead of this year’s Rugby World Cup – and the Chiefs fullback has revealed his secret.
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Before training with the Chiefs, Stevenson visited All Blacks Rugby World Cup hero Stephen Donald for “a couple of pre-preseasons.”
“I guess I probably needed to fill out a little bit,” Stevenson told RugbyPass.
“I’m quite a tall person for my position so I’ve just filled out a bit and got to an age where I’m pretty lucky to have… been able to keep my speed.
“I guess it’s just one of those things that training, eating, just being a professional and nailing what I need to be able to fuel my body and to be at the best.
“There has been a couple of gruelling preseasons.
“I’ve been working alongside Stephen Donald before I come into Chiefs preseason, so doing two or three day camps out there for about three or four weeks before Christmas before I come back into preseason.
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“Those have gone a long way to helping me be fit… with Stephen Donald, doing a couple of pre-preseasons, it’s been a huge help.
“(Donald) He’s been really influential in my career so far… he’s been a mentor for myself.”
According to the Chiefs website, Stevenson stands at 190 centimetres tall and weighs 90 kilograms. But, even though he’s managed to put on some muscle, the fullback hasn’t lost any pace.
In fact, Stevenson’s ability to wreak havoc with the ball-in-hand is reminiscent of legendary All Black Christian Cullen – blink, and you’ll miss him.
Stevenson is just that quick.
While training with Stephen ‘Beaver’ Donald, Stevenson has been focusing on “the fitness side of things” as well as some gym sessions.
“I knew that I needed to take my game to the next level and he’s the one that reached out about coming out there, he doesn’t do it for anyone else,” he added.
“Obviously I played a bit of footy with Beaver but it’s a bit of a running joke that he is my second dad.
“We’ve become quite close in terms of he wants the best for me. It was sort of three years ago where we came up with a plan and what it’s gonna take to get there.
“It was a couple of years in the making and I’m still not there yet because the main goal is to make the All Blacks.
“Hopefully, the last couple of years where I’ve been putting that hard work in goes a long way and I guess we’ll find out if we get there or not.
Is there a better sight in rugby than Shaun Stevenson in full flight?#CHIvHIG #SuperRugbyPacific pic.twitter.com/sZe8CAJA3m
— Super Rugby Pacific (@SuperRugby) March 10, 2023
“That’s a couple of things that got me to where I am in terms of my game.”
As part of this training, Stevenson has been going on 10 kilometres run on the beach – but doing it without any headphones for a very clear reason.
Without music, it’d be pretty hard for anyone to escape the thoughts of doubt and failure while running up and down the “black sand.”
Stevenson has embraced the challenge.
“I try to maximise as much as I can in those couple of days, and for my position, getting that long distance in.
“Mixing that with the short, repetitive stuff but also the next day going out and doing a 10 kilometre run on the beach, no music so just your own thoughts and battling away.
“It’s obviously when you’re gonna find it the hardest is when you’re just battling your own thoughts on the beach as well with black sand.”
Following their surprising loss to the Queensland Reds in New Plymouth, the ladder-leading Chiefs will look to bounce back when they take on the high-flying Hurricanes in Hamilton on Saturday.
Comments on RugbyPass
Really hope Kuruvoli and his partner rock the Canes.
1 Go to commentsI wonder what impact Samson has had on their attack, as the team seems less prone to trundle it up the middle, take the tackle and then trundle it up again. I lost faith in the coach last year as the Rebelss looked like a 2nd/3rd rate South African team. I also disliked Gordon standing back, often ignored as the forward battle went on and on. Maybe its our Aussie way of not getting off our A***’s until the enemy is at the gate.
83 Go to commentsThanks for the write up. Great to see the Rebs winning, I am a little interested in how they will go against the remaining kiwi teams, I think they’ve only played Hurricanes and Highlanders but how great to see these players performing!! I also see Parling has a job beyond June 30! A good move by RA? Also how do you fix the Rebels previously scratchy defence?
83 Go to commentsbe smart - go black
13 Go to commentsNext week the Crusaders hopefully have Scott Barrett back. Will be great to have the captain back. Hopefully he will be the All Black captain as well.
12 Go to commentsExciting place to be for the young fella. I expected he was French Polynesian when I saw him included in the France 6N squad (after seeing him in NZs), and therefor be strong grounds we might loose him to rugby down here. Good, in that he is good enough to warrant such a profile, and from a journalism’s fan interaction aspect, to finally get a back ground story on the fella. Hope he has settled into NZ OK and that at least one rugby country will fit with him to help his development, which, if so, he should surely continue for a few years, and then that he can experience France to it’s fullest with a bit more maturity and less reliance on family than you would have at his current age. A good 3 or 4 years before he would be ready for International duty if he wanted to wait. Of course he already sounds good enough to accept a call up, and to cap himself, in the more immediate future (he’d have to be very very good in the case of the ABs), and he’ll get a great taste of that being with the Canes who have a bunch who are just a few years further into their career and looking likely Internationals themselves.
13 Go to commentsI remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.
4 Go to commentsOh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on their @r$e$ one week later?
26 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
4 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
4 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
13 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
5 Go to commentsI know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
5 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
5 Go to commentsNot sure exactly what went wrong for him at Glasgow but it’s pretty clear he ain’t Franco’s cup of tea. Suspect he would have been better served heading out of Scotland around the same time as Finn, Hoggy and Jonny!
1 Go to commentsBulls disrespected the Northampton supporters and the competition. Decide quickly, fully in or out.
26 Go to commentsI wonder if Parling was ever on England’s radar as a coach? Obviously Borthwick is a great lineout coach, but I do worry he might be taking on too much as both head coach and forwards coach.
1 Go to commentsJason Jenkins has one cap. When Etzebeth was his age he had over 80 caps. Experience matters. He will never amount to what Etzebeth has because he hasn’t been developed as an international player.
2 Go to comments