Rugby: Trust in systems vital, says Fraser

Fullback Te Rangi Fraser makes a typical break for the Bay of Plenty Steamers. Photo / Getty Images

Te Rangi Fraser set a goal, when he was too small to make the Napier Boys' First XV, to one day become a professional rugby player.

That journey, to be one of the best attacking fullbacks in this year's ITM Cup, has had plenty of pitfalls along the way, but the 24-year-old Bay of Plenty Steamers player has plenty to smile about with the way his career has blossomed this year.

He was a key member of the Bay of Plenty sevens team over the summer, set a record by scoring a try in every round of the Baywide club competition for his Whakarewarewa club, then scored one of the best individual efforts of the ITM Cup so far in the win over North Harbour.

But smiling was difficult for much of last winter after Fraser suffered a badly broken jaw against Taranaki in just his second game for the Steamers.

"It was disappointing as I needed surgery and was a bit down," Fraser said. "I wasn't contracted so when [Bay of Plenty chief executive] Mike [Rogers] told me he wanted to contract me it lifted my want to be back in there."

Fraser was raised in Napier, where cricket was his main game at school, with the talented allrounder making all the Hawke's Bay age group sides. He lived in Australia in his late teens before returning home in 2013 to play rugby for Ngati Porou East Coast, under the coaching of former Steamers hooker Ngarimu Simpkins.

"He told me it would be a good opportunity for me to go play in a decent club side in Rotorua [Whakarewarewa] and said you never know, as Bay of Plenty were struggling," Fraser said.

"Coming from Ngati Porou, and the pride they have in the sky-blue jersey and the Maori culture, where you are not playing for just any team but are playing for the whole iwi, going to Whaka was pretty much the same thing."

Fraser is enjoying a full week to prepare for Sunday's clash in Pukekohe against Counties Manukau, after three games in 10 days.

Getting back into winning form is a must after Sunday's heavy 43-10 defeat to Waikato.

"That was disappointing. We were a bit flat and one-on-one tackles missed turned into points. We know Counties play a similar brand of rugby to Waikato so we can learn off our mistakes and do a better job. We need to trust in our systems and just play the Bay of Plenty rugby we want to play."

The one game Fraser has been quietly thinking about is the Ranfurly Shield challenge against Hawke's Bay in Napier on September 19.

"I want to go down there and show them, if I am given an opportunity, to take that shield from them and hold it high and say I can play rugby.

"I have never given up on my dream and believed in myself I could do it."

•See tomorrow's Bay of Plenty Times for the Steamers match preview v Counties Manukau on Sunday.