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Super Rugby Pacific

'I thought about giving up my professional ambitions': Hurricanes' unlikely hero reaching new heights

By Adam Julian

2 hours ago

Callum Harkin of Hurricanes charges forward during the round six Super Rugby match between Highlanders and Hurricanes at Forsyth Barr Stadium, on March 20, 2026, in Dunedin, New Zealand. (Photo by Joe Allison/Getty Images)

The Hurricanes have scored 50 or more points in a game four times this season, equalling the records of the 2005 Crusaders, 2010 Bulls, 2016 Chiefs, 2018 Waratahs, and their own 2017 freewheeling side.

The hot scoring streak is more remarkable because they’ve played only six of their 14 regular-season games. One of the Hurricanes’ most potent attackers started 2025 as an un-contracted player working in construction. The ascent of Callum Harkin, 27, has been unusual.

Harkin swaps seamlessly between first five-eighth and fullback. So far in 2026, he has helped the Hurricanes beat the Waratahs (59-19) and Western Force (31-23) from 10. At fullback, he was in sparkling form in wins against Moana Pasifika (52-10) and the Highlanders (50-7). He ranks in the top ten of the competition for try assists.

This follows an excellent debut campaign where he started seven of 10 matches, including four wins in a row from April 26 to May 23 against the Brumbies (35-29), Chiefs (35-17), Highlanders (24-20), and Reds (31-27). He joined the squad only as injury cover.

“I think there are a lot of guys out there who are very good players but for whatever reason don’t have access to the resources that a professional does,” Harkin told RugbyPass.

“When I hit 23, 24, I thought about giving up my professional ambitions. My club helped fuel my passion for the game. The common denominator between my club, Old Boys University, and the Hurricanes is that guys want to win. Winning underpins everything. The Swindale Shield and Jubilee Cup are strong competitions in Wellington. You have to be willing to be selfless and compete to win those trophies. The same is true in the Hurricanes.

“We have a lot of trust in our coaches and the senior leadership group. We have a structure you have to stick to, but we also have the freedom to move the ball and the players who can do a lot of damage when that happens. At times, it feels like we have been firing on all cylinders. That’s fun to play.”

Harkin started his rugby journey in Eastbourne, an affluent seaside suburb on the eastern edge of Wellington Harbour. He was coached by his dad, Francis, on various teams from 2005 to 2012 and, remarkably, lost only twice. In 2014, he was part of a St Patrick’s College Silverstream Under-15 team that won 23 of 24 games before graduating to the First XV, where success was harder to come by.

A “reset” on an OE in Ireland proved invaluable. Harkin soon established himself as the best player in Wellington club rugby. In 2020, he helped Old Boys University win the Jubilee Cup, beating defending champions Northern United 22-14 in the final.

In 2022, Harkin won the prestigious Billy Wallace Best & Fairest Award. That competition has been contested annually since its inception in 1966. Players in every premier match are awarded points on a 3-2-1-point basis. Formerly chosen by newspaper correspondents, the points are now allocated by Wellington Rugby match officials. Former winners include All Blacks, Graham Williams, and Alan Hewson.

In 2024, Old Boys University won the Jubilee Cup again, beating Tawa 27-21 in the final. Harkin was awarded the Jim Brown Memorial Medal as player of the final, an accolade previously won by All Blacks Tamati Ellison, TJ Perenara and Jeff Toomaga-Allen. With Old Boys University, Harkin has scored 497 points in 62 games, winning 45 times.

Harkin was finally rewarded with Wellington Lions selection for the 2024 NPC. He started four of his ten matches, all wins against Manawat? (39-31), Canterbury (46-21), Otago (32-28), and Waikato (29-24).

In the NPC final against Bay of Plenty, he wrote himself into capital rugby folklore when he replaced centurion Jackson Garden-Bachop and kicked the winning penalty in the 93rd minute of extra time.

“I didn’t think it would be a game-defining kick. A group of us had a consultation beforehand with Du’Plessis Kirifi overruling those not in favour of taking a shot,” Harkin recalled.

“Bay of Plenty hadn’t scored for a while. If we could get some points and keep shutting them down in the right areas of the field, we’d be hard to catch.”

“Hrny Stadium is a hard ground to kick on because you can kick it straight and the ball will travel both ways. I was process-driven in the moment. If you let that moment get to you, you lose sight of what you’ve practised to be successful. Failing that, if I struck it straight, it would go one way or the other.

“Jackson has been massive for me. He’s taught me to see and understand the game in a way I wouldn’t have in the past. NPC is a different level from the club game. Jacko’s willingness to let me communicate and game drive was massive.”

Harkin hasn’t put a foot wrong since his NPC-winning kick, adding nine more games for the Lions in 2025, including a hat-trick of tries in a 75-19 slaying of Southland.

Much of his success with Old Boys University and Wellington came partnered with All Blacks halfback Kyle Preston. Another All Black halfback, Cam Riogard, is driving Harkin to new heights.

Roigard has scored the first tries in the last three Hurricanes games and lost only two of his last 16 first-class games.

“Cam can really turn it on at the drop of a hat. It’s exciting to play with him,” Harkin said.

“The thing that makes Cam unique is his speed, and nobody loves the new free-kick rules more than Cam. It means he can play even faster. You have to be on your toes all the time.”

All Black Ruben Love plays a similar role to Harkin in the Hurricanes. The pair “click” over their “attention to detail” and willingness to “back themselves,” though Harkin concedes Love is “a bit quicker.”

Former English and British and Irish Lions international Riki Flutey coached Harkin in the 2018 Wellington Under-19’s. The Black Ferns assistant coach is unsuprised by Harkin’s ascent.

“When I first saw him, I knew he was a player with serious ability. He has a massive boot which sets him apart from others. Additionally, he has a well-rounded skill set. Callum just needed some clarity around preparation, attitude, and what his best positions were,” Flutey said.

Nobody has started Super Rugby Pacific quicker than the 2026 Hurricanes, whose other unique achievements include extending their home unbeaten streak to 22 consecutive matches against Australian opposition. The last Aussie team to topple the Hurricanes at Hrny Stadium was the 2015 Waratahs 29-24.

Meanwhile, the Highlanders registered their second-lowest score ever against the Hurricanes. The record is still their 6-10 defeat at Carisbrook in 2008. Additionally, the Hurricanes kept the Highlanders scoreless in the second half for the fifth time. The previous four occasions were in 2003, 2006, 2008, and 2024.

The Hurricanes host the Blues in a top-of-the-table clash on Saturday. The Blues beat the Hurricanes 33-29 in their last trip to Hrny Stadium.

“The Blues play a very direct and precise style. We’re going to have to shut down their big ball runners, do the basics right, and take our opportunities when they come,” Harkin said.

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Comments

2 Comments

JW 33 mins ago

Thanks for the exhausted articles you’ve been doing Adam.

What I love most about Harkin is how he enters the backline from fullback, like an old school amateur player, not over coached, reactive and on his own choosing, unpredictably.

Even if at this level players are trained in defending particular patterns, I think Harkins impact has been helped by the unfamiliar picture he creates coming from depth. He is just taking defensive lines by surprise. He is more reminiscent of say Cullen than where Jordan pops up right on a shoulder.

JW 33 mins ago

Of course he is just got a lot of class and skills to play the director role at 10 as well. Hope he is given the opportunity of higher honors.

“I think there are a lot of guys out there who are very good players but for whatever reason don’t have access to the resources that a professional does,”

Because this point plays out at the level above Super, and “professionalism” as well.

And to think NZR wanted to take away the development opportunities to NPC players like Harkin. Embrace it and raise NPC instead imo.

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