The blockbusting loosie crowned New Zealand's best performer ahead of Cullen Grace and Quinn Tupaea
When the New Zealand secondary schools side beat their Australian counterparts 34-11 in 2017, five players in the NZ backline cracked over 100 running metres. Not one of those five players were awarded the prestigious Jerry Collins Memorial Bronze Boot, however. Instead, it was talented loose forward Devan Flanders who was deemed the player of the series.
That’s no mean feat, given the quality of players that were sprinkled amongst that team. That 2017 side has already produced 9 Super Rugby players, including Naitoa Ah Kuoi, Cullen Grace, Tupou Vaa’i, Leicester Fainga’anuku, Etene Nanai-Seturo, Kini Naholo, Danny Toala and Quinn Tupaea – as well as Flanders himself.
Flanders, who was a member of the famous Hasting Boys’ High School first XV that made two consecutive national finals, is in his first full-time season with the Hurricanes this year. Last Sunday, the dynamic number 8 started just his second match of Super Rugby and dotted down for his first try.
By his own admission, he’s still very much finding his feet at this level of the game, having played two seasons of Mitre 10 Cup for Hawke’s Bay.
“We had a few injuries at the start of the season, which allowed me to get a few minutes,” Flanders told RugbyPass. “I’m pretty happy with the minutes that I’ve had at the moment but not as happy with the way I’ve been playing.
“I think it’ll take a bit of time. I suppose it’s just adapting to the new style, playing with different players and just trying to be more confident in myself to play, really.”
Flanders, himself, is his biggest critic. While there are always tales of young players bursting onto the scene and immediately shining at Super Rugby level, even the greats of the game tend to take a while to warm up before they’re ready for the big leagues.
Of course, Super Rugby Aotearoa is an even tougher competition than what most young men are faced with in their first few seasons of representing their local franchise. Every match is a must-win game and there are no real opportunities for rest or rotation.
It can also be tough to really find your feet when you’re regularly coming off the bench and facing up against other players who have already figured out the pace of the match.
“The game against the Chiefs, just before the COVID situation, that my first start,” said Flanders.
“For me, I find starting just a bit easier than coming off the bench because you’re beginning fresh with everyone. When you’re coming on later in the match, you’re a bit cold while everyone’s been playing for a while and have gotten used to the game.”
The problem, of course, is that the Hurricanes are fairly well stocked in the loose forwards. Even though Ardie Savea was absent from the team prior to Super Rugby Aotearoa’s kick-off, the Hurricanes were still able to call on the likes of Vaea Fifita, Gareth Evans, Reed Prinsep and Du’Plessis Kirifi.
Tom Christie was turning heads early in the season after week upon week of exceptional performances.
The latest openside flanker off the Canterbury conveyor belt spoke to @TomVinicombe about his debut season with @CrusadersRugby. #SuperRugbyAotearoahttps://t.co/Ci0kTsQtLi
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 20, 2020
While that’s prevented Flanders from being thrust straight into the spotlight, it’s also provided the 20-year-old with plenty of role-models to learn from – especially Magpies teammate Evans and New Zealand’s best player at last year’s World Cup, Savea.
“[Evans] is another loose forward that I can learn a lot off, especially coming from Hawke’s Bay,” Flanders said. “I know him quite well now, so I can pretty much ask him anything. He helps me out with on-field and off-field stuff, so he’s a bit of a mentor for me.
“Ardie’s world-class. He was in my team at training [when the Super Rugby squads first came back together following the COVID-enforced break] and I just tried to learn as much off him as I could.
“He’s got a lot of good off-field stuff going on and he’s always trying to help out wherever he can. He does some early morning swims or has a coffee before training with whoever wants to go. He’s just a good guy, all-around.”
While Flanders trained with the Hurricanes in the lead-up to the 2018 and 2019 seasons, this is the first year where he’s really had the opportunity to regularly interact with the side’s All Blacks – who are normally absent for a large part of the pre-season.
“This is the first year that I’ve got to train properly and see what it’s like instead of just doing pre-season the whole time,” said Flanders. “I feel like I’m more part of the team now than I used to be – it’s a much better feeling knowing that training you’re doing with everyone is directly contributing to the season ahead.
“When you see the All Blacks for the first time, it’s awesome. You see them on TV and now you’re training with them, it’s pretty cool but it took me quite a while to get used to it. Even just getting a follow on Instagram – us new guys are all showing each other who follows who and all that kind of stuff.”
Flanders elects his flatmate and Hawke’s Bay teammate Danny Toala as the man who was quickest out of the blocks to snare the All Blacks and Hurricanes followers: “I think he got most of them straight away.”
While the Bronze Boot award was indicative of Flanders’ prowess, even at a high school level, it’s not the only sport that he excelled in during his formative years.
“Me and my brothers all played canoe polo too – I’m not sure if many people know what that is. It’s basically water polo but in a boat.
“I think it was about year six when we first started playing it, and then played it through intermediate and high school, then started playing for Hawke’s Bay and those sort of teams. My older brother played in the top team and he won nationals two years in a row and then I made the top team and we won again, so we go the three-peat, which was pretty good. We got sports team of the year at school too.”
New results from an anonymous poll conducted among current New Zealand Super Rugby stars has revealed who the majority of players believe the "biggest grub" in the country is.https://t.co/pZXjuNgkaX
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 7, 2020
While there are few similarities between canoe polo and Flanders’ current sport, you can imagine that the strength acquired from being involved in a pastime where navigation is almost entirely dependant on the arms and shoulder might come in useful for a budding rugby player.
“There are a few chicken legs but it was good for the upper body, of course, and fitness and strength,” Flanders said.
“In my early years, I trained quite hard for it. I was going to give it up in year 12 but I twisted my leg so I came back for year 13. I’ve got too heavy for a boat now; I can’t really fit in them.”
The focus is purely on rugby now – and Flanders is aiming to get as many matches under his belt as possible in the new competition. The regularity of play will allow the up-and-coming loose forward to build his confidence and show New Zealand what he’s capable of on a wider scale.
Still, Flanders acknowledges that the biggest improvement he can make right now is to just own his game and own his abilities – and he knows he’s more than capable of taking his game to the next level.
“Probably at the moment, I just need to focus on being more confident and more physical – just getting into the game more instead of trying to save myself.
“I felt like I was waiting for the game to come to me instead of going out there and getting it myself so, at the moment, I need to put my foot forward and take charge.
“I probably can’t wait until game time because that would be too late. At training, I need to do the little things right so that I’m feared and confident enough when it comes to the game time. When I first came in, I was just the quiet little boy. Now, I’m just trying to work on my game, be more confident and do what I want to do instead of just standing back.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Very unlikely the Bulls will beat Leinster in Dublin. It would be different in Pretoria.
1 Go to commentsI think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to commentsJust such a genuine good bloke…and probably the best all round player in his generation. Good guys do come first sometimes and he handled the W.Cup loss with great attitude.
2 Go to commentsWord in France is that he’s on the radar of a few Top14 clubs.
2 Go to commentsGet blocking Travis, this guy has styles and he’s gonna make a swift impact…!
1 Go to commentsWhat remorse? She claimed that her dangerous tackle wasn’t worthy of a red! She should be compensating the injured player for loss of earnings at the minimum. Her ban should include the recovery time of the injured player as well as the paltry 3 match ban.
5 Go to commentsArdie is a legend. Finished and klaar. Two things: “Yeah, yeah, I have had a few conversations with Razor just around feedback on my game and what I am doing well, what I need to improve on or work-ons. It’s kind of been minimal, mate, but it’s all that I need over here in terms of how to be better, how to get better and what I am doing well.” I hope he’s downplaying it - and that it’s not that “minimal”. The amount of communication and behind the scenes preparation the Bok coaches put into players - Rassie and co would be all over Ardie and being clear on what is expected of him. This stands out for me as something teams should really be looking at in terms of the boks success from a coaching point of view. And was surprised by the comment - “minimal”. In terms of the “debate” around Ireland and South Africa. Nice one Ardie. Indeed. There’s no debate.
2 Go to commentsThere’s a bit of depth there but realistically Australian players have a long way to go to now catch up. The game is moving on fast and Australia are falling behind. Australian sides still don’t priories the breakdown like they should, it’s a non-negotiable if you want to compete on the international stage. That goes for forwards and backs. The Australian team could have a back row that could make a difference but the problem is they don’t have a tight five that can do the business. Tupou is limited in defence, overweight and unfit and the locks are a long way from international standard. Frost is soft and Salakai-Loto is too small so that means they need a Valentini at 8 who has to do the hard graft so limits the effectiveness of the backrow. Schmidt really needs to get a hard working, tough tight 5 if he wants to get this team firing.
3 Go to commentsSorry Morgan you must have been the “go to for a quote” ex player this week. Its rnd 6 and there is plenty of time to cement a starting 15 and finishing 8 so I have no such concerns.
2 Go to commentsGreat read. I wish you had done this article on the ROAR.
2 Go to commentsThe current AB coaching team is basically the Crusaders so it smacks of wanting their familiar leaders around. This is not a good look for the future of the ABs or the younger players in Super working their way up the player ladder. Razor is touted as innovative, forward looking but his early moves look like insecurity and insular, provincial thinking. He is the AB's coach not the Golden Oldies.
10 Go to commentsSimple reason for wanting him back. Robertson wants him as captain. Otherwise he wouldn’t be bothering chasing him. Not enough reason to come back just to mentor.
10 Go to commentsI had not considered this topic like this at all, brilliant read. I had been looking at his record at the Waratahs and thought it odd the Crusaders appointed him, then couple that with all that experience and talent departing and boom. They’ve got some great talent developing though, and in all honesty I don’t think anyone would be over confident taking them on in a playoff match, no matter how poor the first half of their season was. I think they can pull a game out of their ass when it counts.
2 Go to commentsNot a bad list but not Porecki and not Donaldson. Not because they are Tahs, or Ex Tahs, they are just not good enough. Edmed should be ahead. Far more potential. Wilson should be 8 and Valentini 6. Wilson needs to be told by his father and his coach, stop bloody running in to brick wall defence. You’re not playing under the genius Thorn any more. He’s a fantastic angle runner. The young new 8 from the Brumbies looks really good too. The Lonegrans are just too small for international rugby as is Paisami, as is Hamish Stewart at 12. Both great at Super Rugby level. Stewart could have been a great 10 if not for Brad Thorn. Uru should be there and so should Tupou. Tupou just needs good Australian coaching which he hasn’t been getting. I don’t think Schmidt will excite him.
3 Go to commentsIf he wants to come back then he should. He will be a major asset to the younger locks and could easily be played as an impact player off the bench coming on in the last 30. He is fit, strong and capable and has all the experience to make up for any loss in physical prowess. He could also be brought back with a view to coaching within the structures one day. Duane Vermeulen played until he was 37 or 38. He is now a roaming coach within the South African coaching structures. He was valuable in the last world cup and has been a major influence on Jasper Wiese and other young players which has helped and accelerated their development and growth. Whitelock could do the exact same thing for NZ
10 Go to commentsBrett Excellent words… finally someone (other than DC) has noted that Hanigan is very hard and very good at doing what Backrow should do… his performance via the Drua sauna was quite daunting for those on the other side… very high tackle count… carries with good end result… constant threat to make a good 20-25 meters with those long legs… providing his mass effectively to crunching the Drua pack… Finally he is returning to quality form… way to much injury time over the last 2 years… smart-strong-competent in his skills… caught every lineout throw aimed at him and delivered clean pass to whoever was down below… and he worked hard for the whole 80 minutes… Ned has to be in the top 5 for backrow honors… He knows what is required as he has been there before…
20 Go to commentsI think Sam Whitelock should not touch a return with a bargepole. He went out on a high, playing in the RWC Final. He would be coming back into a team that will be weaker than last years, and might even be struggling to win games, especially against the Boks. Stay in France, enjoy another year with Pau, playing alongside his brother.
10 Go to commentsRyan Coxon has been very impressive considering he was signed by WF as injury cover whilst Uru has been a standout for QR, surprised neither of those mentioned
3 Go to commentsIt’s the massive value he brings with regard team culture/values, preparation, etc. Can’t buy that. I’m hoping to see the young locks get their chance in the big games though.
10 Go to commentsAll good, Gregor, except that you neglected to mention Sam Darry amongst that talented pool of locks. In fact, given Hannah’s inexperience and the fact that Holland won’t be eligible until next year, Lord and Darry might be the frontrunners this year, to join Barrett, Tuipoluto, Va’ii and possibly Whitelock. In fact there might be room for all of them if Barrett played 6 (like Ollie Chessum).
10 Go to comments