Daniel Temm
Whether it be of the round or oval variety Daniel Temm's a young man who's kept his eye on the ball.
Doing so has taken the former John Paul College (JPC) 1st X1 and 1st XV player across the world, not simply to watch New Zealand tussle with the Brits on the pitch or paddock, but to play both codes at club, now professional, level.
Initially it was cricket he signed on for, but for the past couple of years it's been rugby; his latest club's Newcastle Falcons, his sights set on a slot in its premiership team; chances are he'll make it.
Falcons is a club with credibility, that bane of the All Blacks, Jonny Wilkinson's among its alumni.
Daniel's the first to acknowledge he has a way to go before he can emulate Wilkinson's World Cup winning feats, but while briefly back on home turf, this newly-turned 23-year-old assures us he's determined to play with the big guns.
In a newspaper report of Daniel's Falcons' signing, director, former British Lions player, Dean Richards, has described the 1.98m giant from Rotorua as having the necessary X Factor, comparing him with ex All Black Josh Kronfeld.
Daniel's sporting background's impressive. His years at JPC included captaining the 1st XV, a team that made rugby headlines - not for its number of wins (to be blunt, there weren't too many of them) but for the number of brothers it fielded, among them Daniel's younger sibling, Matthew.
However it wasn't rugby that was to kick-start Daniel's sporting OE.
Unsure what he wanted to do career-wise, JPC cricket coach, Mark Chapman, suggested he take a UK gap year; finding a manager to cast about for a club to take his protege on.
Halifax's Warley Club in Yorkshire welcomed him on board, assigning him to coach local schools and fielding him on Saturdays.
Daniel's guarded about his debut on English wickets.
"It went okay but not great, I wasn't used to how small and wet the grounds were, I was trying to bowl fast, I was 18 and wanted to score all the runs, take all the wickets, it really wasn't happening for me, however I learned a lot about cricket."
By the end of the 2010 season he'd caught the eye of "this old boy called Arthur". Taken with Daniel's on-pitch speed, Arthur asked him if he played rugby.
"I said I'd played at school, he put me in touch with the Old Crossleyans in Halifax, they took me on and I was virtually straight into it, playing as open side flanker.
Home became the top floor of the club house, sharing with another JPC Old Boy, Angus White.
At the end of his first Old Crossleyan's season Daniel was named player of the year.
"I was pretty chuffed because I was the youngest to get that in a club over 100 years old."
He credits his success with being "a bit fitter and faster than the Poms".
He needed all the fitness and speed he could muster when he and Angus went to Spain to join in Pamplona's infamous running with the bulls.
It's become something of a tradition for Temms visiting Europe. Daniel's dad, former New Zealand Law Society president and local barrister Jonathan Temm, did it on his OE.
Daniel's adrenalin kicks into overdrive as he relives the experience. He didn't just run once with the big bovines hurtling towards his heels, but three times in the one day.
"You had to start about 6.30am, we'd been partying into the early hours of the morning so we could have been in better shape."
On their third attempt Daniel and Angus made it into the coliseum as its gates were closing.
"It was a good little finish to our 900m run . . yeah, it was exciting, awesome."
Back in Britain he joined Leeds' Otley Club having what he classifies as "a good year" there.
"Towards the end of the season I was asked to play for Yorkshire but it didn't happen, I got banned for six weeks because I stepped on someone in a ruck."
The transgression didn't put Otley supporters off, they named him their player of the year, an accolade that's becoming something of a habit for young Mr Temm.
While at Otley he was picked to captain the Yorkshire Terriers under 27s 2013 Aussie tour.
"We played five games, won five."
That tour inspired him "to do the rugby thing" professionally. "At 22 I had to make a go of it now or never."
The word was out, last October Newcastle Falcons invited him to play a game for their B team in the A league competition.
"I was really excited playing against Northampton, I guess I played quite well but didn't score, we lost."
Since his Falcon's signing Daniel's been playing "all over the shop", including against London's hard-as-nails Saracens.
"We were looking like we could win but they ran away from us in the second half."
That game came at the closing of the UK's last rugby season. " It's a nervous time wondering if you'll get another contract."
Daniel did; it's for two years in the Aviva Premiership competition. "I've yet to get a premiership game but I'm hungry to wear the Number 7 jersey for the Falcons."
We've deliberately saved our curliest question for last: How would he feel playing against the All Blacks? "It would make Mum happy, she's a Pom, Dad not so happy."
DANIEL TEMM
Born: Auckland, 1991
Education: Otonga Primary, John Paul College from Intermediate years on
Family: Mum Helen, dad Jonathan, step-mum Lynelle, 1 brother, 3 sisters
Interests: Sport "anything competitive", eating "I don't have much time for much else".
Best cricketing moment: "Knocking up 104 for JPC, the only century I've ever got."
On rugby career: "They say I've got raw talent, but there are still technical things for me to learn."
Personal Philosophy: "Never give up."
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