'What the heck is going on?’: How Ireland's style helped young Taranaki centre to a Blues contract

After winning ten consecutive games in 2021, Taranaki collapsed in the 2022 NPC slumping to seven defeats in ten outings. Taranaki’s inconsistency appeared set to continue in 2023. Following three wins on the trot to start the season they dropped their next three games as a playoff berth became tenuous.

Coach Neil Barnes was in Italy assisting the Azzurri. He was also overhauling the amber and blacks game plan from the Northern Hemisphere, which suited centre Meihana Grindlay down to the ground.

“Our new game plan and defense system was modeled on how Ireland plays with double back door pods on attack and a new alignment on defense,” Grindlay told RugbyPass.

“Originally we were like, ‘What the heck is going on?’ We’re not used to playing like this, everyone plays a 1-3-3-1 pattern. After we lost to Tasman we had a bit of an honesty session. We had to make it work. We did. We didn’t lose again.”

Suddenly Taranaki had more room and variety to attack. Grindlay thrived with his hard running, regular offloads, and solid tackling earning him a Super Rugby contract with the Blues.

He saved his best for the NPC Premiership final. He scored a crucial try as Taranaki beat Hawke’s Bay 22-19 in front of a rapturous crowd in New Plymouth. The attendance was larger than some teams’ combined attendance for the season.

“That game will go down as one of my greatest achievements in rugby. Words can’t describe the emotions of winning that game in front of my family and friends and giving back to the community that had gone without a proper stadium for years,” Grindlay reflected.

“I’m not sure if more teams will adopt the Taranaki approach in Super Rugby but some of the Blues boys have been curious. I might stop talking so I can help the Naki go back-to-back.”

One of five siblings, Grindlay’s roots are entrenched in Taranaki. His father Kepe has been a school teacher for 27 years in Manaia, the “bread capital” of New Zealand where Mum Tineke works for Yarrows.

Rugby league was Meihana’s first calling until he was spotted playing Sevens at the Aims Games, an intermediate-aged style national Olympics. King’s College came knocking and Grindlay was headed to Auckland on scholarship.

“King’s. I’d never heard of it until I was flicking the TV one day and saw my friend Ciarahn Matoe from Taranaki taking a kick. I was like, ‘Far I’ll never go to a school like that,’ and then I ended up there.

“King’s pretty much changed my world. It wasn’t just the top rugby coaching and education I got, it’s the wicked connections you make.

“There were so many rugby highlights. My debut was against New Plymouth Boys’ High School at the Gully in Year 10 which was special because I got to play in front of my parents.

“In 2019 we won the Auckland Championship, Moascar Cup, and made the National Final. That was huge as King’s hadn’t done that since 2005. The culture was awesome. I was particularly close with Aidan Morgan who’s in the Hurricanes now.”

Grindlay was picked for the New Zealand Secondary Schools. He debuted for Taranaki in 2021 and has played 20 games, earning a Union blazer.

Joining the Blues was a logical decision for Grindlay who will be mentored by All Blacks centre and Blues centurion Reiko Ioane (69 Tests, 36 tries).

The Blues pre-season tour of Japan consists of fixtures against Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath on February 3 and Yokohama Canon Eagles on February 10.

They start their Super Rugby regular season campaign against the Fijian Dura in Whang?rei on February 24.