Code-swapper Christian Leopard opens up about his love of football, as cricket goes on the backburner.
Christian Leopard impresses on the football field after cricket career earned him New Zealand age-group and Central Districts honours.
After missing the entirety of Napier City Rovers’ 2024 season with injury, he’s on a mission to make the most of his return to action.
Code-swapper’s fastest time for the gruelling Bronco fitness challenge is seven seconds quicker than rugby’s all-time record set by All Blacks Beauden Barrett and Cam Roigard.
When Christian Leopard emailed Napier City Rovers to see if any social teams needed an extra player, he couldn’t have imagined the rapid trajectory his football career was about to go on.
Leopard emailed the club – who host the Wellington Phoenix Reserves in second-round Chatham Cup action on Sunday– after playing cricket in Darwin during a Kiwi winter.
His cricketing career had previously seen him play for New Zealand in the 2016 Under-19 World Cup – in a side that included future Black Caps Glenn Phillips, Finn Allen and Rachin Ravindra – as well as first-class, 50-over and Twenty20 cricket for Central Districts.
Leopard was initially offered a spot in the Napier City Rovers’ Div 1 team; a side featuring first-team coach Bill Robertson and a raft of former first-team players aged in their late 30s and into their 40s.
A natural sportsman, his speed and skill on the ball would later see him sensationally promoted from the social-based team to the first-team line up in the run-in to the side’s qualification for the 2022 National League; the top-tier of domestic football in New Zealand.
Christian Leopard goes on a surge downfield during training for Napier City Rovers. Photo / Neil Reid
“Bill asked one night if I could come and help out with an 11 v 11 [training session] with the first team,” Leopard said.
“Then straight after training, he asked if I’d be keen to hang on [with the first team] and I said yes.”
Christian Leopard, left, says other Napier City Rovers aren't just his teammates; some of them are amongst his best mates. Photo / Neil Reid
And by the time Robertson’s team took on the National League – after securing a top four place in the Central League – Leopard had nailed himself in as a match-day regular.
“Div 1 ... and all those boys ... that’s where it all started for me,” Leopard recalled with a smile.
“And they were stoked for me too. They called [themselves] the ‘Production Line’. They were really happy to see me go up to the top team.”
Leopard again has been a match-day squad regular for Napier City Rovers in the first nine matches of the 2025 Central League; including Sunday’s 1-1 draw against undefeated league leaders Wellington Olympic.
He was a member of the starting 11 – who all impressed in the tense but entertaining draw – after playing previous matches this season off the substitutes bench.
Leopard’s joy of being out there is a world away from the frustration of 2024 when he missed the whole season rehabbing from a full knee reconstruction.
“Last year, and having to go through that recovery, was pretty tough,” Leopard said.
“But to be back playing, you know, it’s all been worth it. It was a good period for me to reflect and learn a lot. I took the recovery time to try to be a better athlete when I came back.
Christian Leopard put in a huge amount of hard graft away from the scene to be able to return to the football pitch. Photo / Neil Reid
Well before his selection for the first team at Napier City Rovers, Leopard – a highly rated runner during his school days – was no stranger to elite sporting environments via his cricketing career.
“I love coming to training every day with the boys and just being around them from a social side,” he said.
“A lot of them are my good mates; most of them are coming to my wedding in four months.”
Christian Leopard is stoked to be back with Napier City Rovers in 2025 after missing all of last season as he recovered from a full knee reconstruction. Photo / Neil Reid
Before his injury, Leopard was aiming to again represent Central Districts in the 2024-25 Super Smash T20 competition.
He made his return to sport after the lengthy rehab period playing Hawke’s Bay club cricket last summer.
Christian Leopard, right, about to head the ball during his side's recent 3-3 Central League draw on the road to Petone FC. Photo / Neil Reid
“Towards the back half of the [2024-24 cricket] season after Christmas, when it was time to start getting ready for preseason for football, I sort of just felt my love for cricket just fading a little bit,” he said.
“I sort of hit a bit of a wall on the cricket, so I really don’t know what is in store for me this summer. I could just play a couple of club games here and there, but I don’t think I’ll be going for anything else than that.”
Christian Leopard takes huge pride in wearing the Napier City Rovers strip. Photo / Neil Reid
Leopard said part of his love for football was how endurance and speed could prove to be a game-changer.
His best time in the gruelling Bronco fitness challenge is 4.05 minutes, a staggering seven seconds faster than the all-time rugby record jointly held by All Blacks Beauden Barrett and Cam Roigard.
In cricket, he said running the distances he does to stay in peak shape were not necessarily so important.
“Football suits my personality better, the running aspect and the training,” he said. “It’s probably where I see myself in the next few years focusing on.
“I like the fact that you can go and run around, behind the scenes, and then you come out and train and you can see the effects of it. Whereas cricket doesn’t really, you can run for 10km, but it doesn’t matter.”
Neil Reid is a Napier-based senior reporter who covers general news, features and sport. He joined the Herald in 2014 and has 33 years of newsroom experience.
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