Brett Cameron made his All Blacks debut against Japan in 2018. Photo / Getty Images
When he looks back on his time with the Crusaders, Brett Cameron admits there were areas of his game where he needed to be better.
Playing time was at a premium for the young first five-eighth during his four-year stint with the club from 2017, as he found himself behind Richie Mo'unga in the depth chart and competing with David Havili and Fergus Burke for backup minutes.
Across four seasons, Cameron took the field in 13 games – playing more than 10 minutes in just five of those and earning two starts. While his impressive play at the NPC level had earned him an All Blacks call-up in 2018, he couldn't find a way to make that translate at Super Rugby level.
"You just feel a little bit of pressure," Cameron tells the Herald on Sunday, reflecting on his time with the Crusaders. "Sometimes it was tough being behind someone like Richie, and I guess I didn't make the most of the limited opportunities I got and just got caught in my own head a little bit at times."
Cameron made headlines with his All Blacks call-up in 2018, with strong performances across the 2017 and 2018 NPC seasons with Canterbury catching the attention of the selectors as they looked to put a squad together for a test against Japan.
Then 21 years old, he was among 19 players added to the initial 32-man squad, and was one of eight new caps to make the 23, with George Bridge, Finlay Christie, Dalton Papali'i and Tyrel Lomax among the others.
Cameron made a 10-minute cameo off the bench at the back end of the 69-31 win, getting his first taste of test rugby.
"Everyone has their opinion and you kind of expect that, it doesn't matter who makes the team – everyone has something to say, but I didn't feel too much pressure personally," Cameron says of his selection. "I just wanted to make the most of the opportunities, play well and just do my best for the team.
"It was a bit of a whirlwind at that time. It was just my second year of NPC and that came at the end of the year. It was an awesome experience to just get in the camp and a bit of a childhood dream to actually be able to take the field, see what it's like and give me that drive for what I want to do with my rugby."
But while the selection had thrust him into the national gaze, he was unable to make his mark with the Crusaders. He went unsighted in the 2021 season, and it became clear that he needed a change.
He left the region at the end of the season and joined the Manawatū Turbos for that year's NPC. With consistent game time, it didn't take long for the Whanganui product to rediscover his form and enjoyment for the game.
"I was looking forward to a bit of a change and I don't think I realised how much I was going to enjoy it until I got back in there. It was awesome being able to be so close to home, and the little things like having family at games and things like that. It's pretty cool."
However, given his limited opportunities with the Crusaders, upon his exit from the club Cameron's services were not in high demand from other Super Rugby teams.
While he had no local offers, Japanese team Kamaishi Seawaves moved quickly to secure his services, and Cameron agreed to a one-year deal with the club soon after the Super Rugby campaign had ended.
"I was leaving the Crusaders and, at the time, didn't have offers coming my way," Cameron reflects. "I had a season with the Turbos ahead of me, and the opportunity to go overseas came up before that season kicked off.
"It was a bit of security for me having something to go to the year after instead of sort of hanging out until the end of the year and seeing what happened."
Signing the deal gave Cameron some certainty around where his career was heading next, and he was able to play with freedom and confidence for the Turbos. As it played out, his form with Manawatū in 2021 saw Super Rugby clubs come knocking eventually, but they had missed their opportunity.
But it was always his intention to return to New Zealand after the season with the Seawaves, with another campaign with the Turbos in his sights. In 2023, the 25-year-old will return to Super Rugby on a two-year deal with the Hurricanes, where he has the opportunity to challenge for the No 10 jersey.
"It was really good and it made me realise what I want to do with goals and what I want to achieve," he says of his season in Japan. "It was a good refresher and I'm getting back to New Zealand with a lot of excitement and looking forward to what's ahead."
Cameron has been back on the pitch with Manawatū since the start of this season's NPC, and has picked up right where he left off in driving the side around the park, showing an assertiveness and confidence in his decisions that was lacking early in his career.
"It comes with experience, having a sense of identity of myself as a person and as a player, and just being confident in my ability to take a lot of those worries and little things that I had when I was slightly younger, to now just going out and doing my thing."