Ex-Bay player living Super dream

DREAMS COME TRUE: Former Poverty Bay and Pirates winger John Stewart in his Super Rugby debut for the Sunwolves against the Western Force in Tokyo last weekend. Stewart is living his dream as a professional rugby player. AP Picture

GISBORNE has helped produce another Super Rugby player with former Poverty Bay and Pirates winger John Stewart making his debut for the Sunwolves last weekend. Stewart excelled for the struggling Japanese franchise despite their disappointing 40-22 defeat to the Western Force in Tokyo.

A columnist for Australian sports website The Roar wrote of Stewart’s game: “The Wolves also unveiled a new winger, Fijian-born John Stewart, who proved such a handful, that it is curious how, at 28 years of age, his early career in New Zealand and Fiji hasn’t led to better things than a Super Rugby debut now.”

Akihiro Yamada, who starred for Japan at the world cup, made his Sunwolves debut on the other wing in the same match.

Stewart played for Pirates in 2009 and 2010 and the Bay in 2009 and 2010 and in 2011 as a loan player. He scored two tries in his final club appearance — the 2010 Lee Bros Shield final. It was the first time Pirates had made the final in the club’s 58-year history. They lost 23-22 to YMP, who were celebrating their centennial year, but won the title the next year.

Stewart was Poverty Bay player of the year in 2010 and his 11 tries that year equalled Jack Moeke’s Poverty Bay record for most tries in a season.

Stewart played for Fiji Barbarians and Fiji under-20s but was ineligible for the New Zealand Heartland XV.

Poverty Bay coach at the time, Grainger Heikell, said Stewart was “a very talented footballer . . . an excitement machine”. ‘‘He could go much further in the game.’’

Stewart told The Herald in 2010 that he had a dream of getting a professional contract.

Pirates Rugby Football Club president Pat Makiri said he was ‘‘so excited’’ about Stewart’s success with the Sunwolves and the club wished him “the very best” for his career.

“John came to Pirates as a baby of rugby really.”

He was a good young man who needed nuturing as he had never lived in the Western world before.

“He gave Pirates some of the best rugby spectators have ever seen in Gisborne.”

He had blistering speed and could make the game look simple.

“He would do things that would make Henry Maxwell (Pirates coach) and I look at each other in amazement. John said to me after the 2010 final against YMP that his biggest regret was that he could not win the final for us. He said he had played his guts out like never before.’’

The Sunwolves play the Stormers in Singapore tonight.