Tom Christie cites All Black mentors after being named Newcastle captain

Newcastle Red Bulls have chosen abrasive flanker Tom Christie, one of their few remaining players from last season, to lead them into a new era.

The 28-year-old Kiwi, who captained Canterbury to New Zealand’s National Provincial Championship title, scored six tries in 19 games during his first season on Tyneside.

“It’s an exciting time for the club with everything that’s going on and being planned for the future, so to be asked to lead the team is really special,” the three-time Super Rugby winner said.

“We want to entertain and to keep our fans engaged, and everything we’re doing behind the scenes is around playing fast, high-energy rugby.

“I’m fully bought into that, and the support we receive from our fans is incredible. They’ve turned up for us throughout some pretty tough years, and we’re working incredibly hard to reward the faith that has been put in us.”

Keen to utilise the experience he has brought with him from a highly successful career in New Zealand, Christie added: “Captaining Canterbury was a really cool experience and something I enjoyed immensely, but I was lucky enough to have a lot of exceptional leaders in that group.

“A big part of being a leader is just playing good rugby and trying to set an example, and if I can manage to do that with the input and support of the guys throughout the team then we’re not in a bad place.

“In previous squads I’ve had leaders like Sam Whitelock, Scott Barrett and even Kieran Read during my early days. They’re just amazing people who you can learn a lot from, they were really influential on the younger players within the group and ultimately it was all about the standards they set.

“They would turn up every single day looking to get one per cent better, and the cumulative effect of that is something which has always stuck with me.”

Newcastle Red Bulls head coach Dan McFarland said: “Tom is an outstanding professional with natural leadership qualities.

“He has experience of being a successful captain from his time in New Zealand and brings a lot to the role, but he will be the first to tell you it doesn’t all revolve around one person.

“We have a strong leadership group within our squad who will all contribute and support Tom during what is a really exciting period for the club.”