Bridge, 24, has proven you don’t have to be a schoolboy star to make the big time.
At 17 he hadn’t made any age-grade rep teamsAt 17 he hadn’t made any age-grade rep teams and was headed to Dunedin to study and enjoy the student life.
However, a call from his old Lindisfarne College first 15 coach, former Hurricanes flanker Campbell Feather, resulted in Bridge moving to Christchurch and moving furniture.
Chick says that at first, her son’s Canterbury experience was far from rosy.
“That was a really tough year for him because he didn’t know anybody in Christchurch and his first flat was a shocker.”
She credits Crusaders hooker Ben Funnell for helping turn a horror story into a fairy tale.
“We went down and got him out of that flat. Our eldest boy had been to Lincoln University and he messaged all his mates and and asked if anybody had a spare room in their flat. And Ben Funnell had said ‘yep’.
“Ben and his wife Chloe took him under their wing and looked after him. Chloe’s friend even helped George get another job for the rest of the year that he much preferred.”
Bridge began his rugby as a nipper at the Ngatapa club in PatutahiBridge, the youngest of three boys, was always trying to keep up with his brothers and began his rugby as a nipper at the Ngatapa club in Patutahi.
Former club president Stephen Thomson is family friends with the Bridges, who lived on the neighbouring farm.
He said the Crusaders flyer came from a sporting pedigree.
“George’s dad, he was a King’s College first 15 player and went on to represent Poverty Bay for rugby. On his mum’s side, his grandfather rode equestrian at the Olympics for the New Zealand team and he has had plenty of cousins play rep sport.”
Thomson believes George was always going to be great.
“Every kid dreams of being an All Black, but George probably dreamed of being an All Black even more than any. He’d go and play for his own team in the under-sevens or something, and that was touch rugby, and he’d get player of the day there. Then he’d go along with his older brothers and play in the under blimmin 10s or 11s and he’d clean up in the tackle grade and get player of the day there, too.”
Bridge was educated at Awapuni School, then Gisborne Intermediate, before boarding at Lindisfarne College.
“I’m so happy for him because he has worked so hard,” said Ben Spriggens, a teacher at Lindisfarne College who had coached Bridge when he was a first 15 player.
A typical Kiwi kid who has worked so hard in his own time“You look at guys these days and he’s essentially a typical Kiwi kid who has worked so hard in his own time and asked for work-ons,” Spriggens said.
He said that as a teenager Bridge was “naturally talented in athletics” and “a wonderful hurdler”.
Bridge was the youngest of three brothers who graduated from the boys’ integrated school. Fellow hurdling siblings Ruie, the eldest, and Henry were also first 15 representatives and were adept at cricket and touch in summer.
Ruie locked with Hawke’s Bay Magpie Tom Parsons while Henry was an inside back but versatile enough to switch to the wings.
“Interestingly enough, he (George Bridge) never made the Hawke’s Bay u14s or 16s,” said Spriggens, revealing Bridge was an “awesome runner with the ball” who had a penchant for scoring tries at the junior grades.
The coach, who relinquished his first 15 role in 2015 after nine years, said the then teenager wasn’t a big unit but, admirably, had responded to feedback.
“He was always humble and kind of took on anything his coaches asked of him in the junior grades,” he said. “He was just so great to coach as a sixth and seventh former when he played his last two years for the first 15.”
As a Canterbury u20 representative he stayed true to his kitchen-sponge mentality and invested hours outside the demands of regular training.
“He was such a humble and down-to-earth fellow.”
— Radio NZ/Hawke’s Bay Today
