Rugby: Nick Biss eyes Dad's thumbs up

Taradale centre Nick Biss drenches some sheep while at work on a Clive lifestyle block yesterday. Photo/Warren Buckland

Taradale premier men's rugby centre Nick Biss' father Matt only gets to see his son play live once every four weeks.

"Dad works in the mines at Barrow Island off Perth. He comes home once a month and that's the only time he sees me play apart from when I put You Tube clips online. Dad will be gutted he missed the weekend's game," Biss explained.

Biss, 18, was referring to Carters Frame and Truss Taradale's 24-10 Tui Nash Cup fourth round victory against Northfuels Central at Mathews Park, Tikokino on Friday. He scored two tries and set up a third. "I was pretty happy with that display as I haven't been starting. I only got a start because the regular centre Leafi [Tupuola] was away at his sister's graduation," Biss said.

His performance saw him claim player-of-the-match honours and become the fourth weekly winner in the battle for the Tui-Hawke's Bay Today Club Rugby Player of the Year award. A mighty feat when one considers he isn't a regular starter and is in his first season of premier rugby after five years of play at St John's College.

"Hopefully I've given Blair [Taradale co-coach Blair Cross] a selection headache in the build-up to this week's game against Havelock North with Leafi likely to be available again," Biss said.

A 2012 Hawke's Bay under-18 representative and 2011 Hawke's Bay under-16 rep, Biss, is eyeing Hawke's Bay under-19 selection this season as well as a berth in the Hawke's Bay union's academy. Should he tick off these goals it will be the perfect recovery mission for Biss who missed most of last season after having surgery on a shoulder injury. He is equally as comfortable at fullback as he is at centre. "I prefer centre because I'm closer to the action there but being able to play fullback gives me some versatility which should help me make rep teams in the future."

A brother of the Hawke's Bay United soccer side's top goalscorer, Tom Biss, Biss was invited to play for Taradale after training and playing for the club's Sevens team during the summer. He is looking forward to learning plenty from former Magpies captain and centre Jason Shoemark when he returns to the club in June from his United Kingdom stint.

Since leaving school Biss has worked on a Clive lifestyle block and he said the physical labour has assisted his recovery from his shoulder operation. He hopes to secure a trainee linesman role with Unison in the near future.

Biss knows a win against Havelock North will be a major boost to his unbeaten side's chances of winning the Nash Cup. He is equally excited about the following week's match against Clive which could see him mark up against his former school and Hawke's Bay age group teammate Jonah Lowe.

"Jonah has been going well up in Auckland and we're the best of mates ... it will be interesting."

Biss' father Matt will be back for that one too ... an extra incentive for Biss to produce another player-of-the-match performance.