Rugby: Kevin Senio passes on experience

Kevin Senio. Photo / Wayne Drought.

Kevin Senio has seen most things in a rugby career that only drew to a close 12 months ago.

Now the 2005 All Black is passing on his vast experience to the young rugby men of today who are keen to make the sport their career.

His new role as player advisor for the New Zealand Rugby Players' Association sees him getting into schools, nationwide, to preach the messages of balance in life, seeking the right advice and thinking for oneself, even as the rugby landscape has changed out of sight since he left Kelston Boys' High School in west Auckland at the end of 1996.

Rugby had just gone pro then, but there was not a legion of young men who had grown up thinking of making money from their athletic prowess. Not like today where schoolboys are being signed to provincial and franchise contracts at school and interest in First XV is at an all-time high level, partially thanks to expanding television coverage.

The Auckland market, we know, is overheated, and Senio has already been into many of the traditional schools to talk, advise and give options to young men and their parents, coaches and teachers.

A quick look at Senio's CV shows he played for four provinces - Auckland, Counties Manukau, Bay of Plenty and Canterbury, two franchises - Chiefs and Crusaders, two French clubs - Castres and Clermont, plus the Junior All Blacks and his one test against the Wallabies in '05. That roaming career may signal he was something of a journeyman, but he was a lot better than that, a good communicator, sharp on the break and swift of pass at his best, from 2004-06. What his well-travelled rugby CV does show is that he has wide experience of different teams, a very different culture and language, and he has seen several contracts. He knows what they look like and how they are set out.

It's not just about going into schools and advising the boys to learn French and Japanese, though that should be in the mind of a 13-year-old rugby hopeful when he starts Year 9 at Auckland Grammar.

"My core roles are to get out into the schools, meet people and create relationships. Ultimately it's about bringing some of our important messages to these boys for when they transition out of school. It's about good decision-making, seeking the right advice, and we believe at the NZRPA that we can achieve that with them. For example, if they have contracts in front of them, we are pretty keen to help them get through that process," says Senio.

His younger brother John, who also played professionally in France and for Manu Samoa, is back into the schools scene, teaching at his alma mater of Kelston.

Senio senior knows Auckland is an area of strategic interest for New Zealand Rugby and the province, through its flagship 1A competition, holds a veritable hotbed of talent.

While that is a clear focus for him, he was just back from a pilot presentation in Christchurch. Southland Boys' High, the top rugby school in the deep south, is next on the hit list.

"We're trying to convey that message that balance is the key for these guys. There are three main points:

1. The importance of personal development. Getting the guys to understand you cannot be one-dimensional. That's long-gone now.

2. Risk management. Social media contact, good decisions around that and how to avoid conflict, et cetera.

3. Education around supplements and doping/what to look for in agents/dealing with concussion. The recent issue of NZ Rugby World had some good articles around that.

"There's an understanding that some of these boys are going to be transitioning into high-risk environments," he says.

It is early days in the process, and Senio acknowledges there are challenges ahead in raising awareness and knowledge.

"Certain schools and areas have a good grip on it, but some schools don't necessarily have a background in it. It's just about providing support around that. In an ideal world, we will get into all the schools, but we are targeting the traditional schools at this point."

He knows the landscape is unrecognisable from 19 years ago. There was no NZRPA in 1996, but players went through a more time-honoured pathway to the top. Under 21s for your club, club premiers, province and then franchise. The lucky few graduated to the All Blacks.

"There are so many opportunities out there, but it's about understanding the realities around that as well. Injury, loss of form... If you don't have anything to fall back on or assist, it can be a really hard transition. Two-three years ago, a retired players' survey was done and there are some things to think about. Some transitioned really well and some didn't."

Senio is big on education, and the likes of Richie McCaw and Conrad Smith have spread the gospel on this issue. It's about not putting all your eggs in one basket. That may be difficult at times when the First XV is training up to 10 times a week. It used to be three afternoon sessions a week, four or five if you went to the now defunct St Stephen's. It places a heap of pressure on young men, and some have family and cultural/church pressures, many coming from poor socio-economic backgrounds.

Senio knows all this, and like with Tana Umaga and his work with the Counties Manukau Steelers, knows it is useful to have a Samoan face with a solid rugby CV who has an understanding of what these young men are about to face in professional rugby.

"I'm from west Auckland, from Henderson. I can empathise a lot with Pacific Island and Maori families, and I recognise the challenges they face coming from their own communities. It can finish pretty quickly as well. There's a lot of pressure and expectations that gets put on some of the young boys and it's about managing that," he says.

Auckland, and west and south Auckland, in particular, has a large Pacific Island population, many who find themselves good at rugby and want to make money and provide for their family. It is a powerful motivating force, and Senio is the helping hand towards those goals, for both the NZRPA and with the new Pacific Island Players' Association (PIPA).

"We want these guys to ultimately thrive on the field and off it as well. That's a good guiding principle for us to follow," he says.

"It's just about people, and they just happen to play rugby. We are more than just that, though, and need to have a set of skills to operate in life."

Senio headed to France at 29 after he knew his career had run its course in New Zealand. The one All Blacks cap helped on his CV, but now young men are looking overseas before they have established themselves in New Zealand, lured by moon money in Europe and gone at 20-21, or looking to go. Generation Y have little patience. They want it here and now.

"Just like making any decision, there needs to be due decision. It is up to the individual to find out as much information as possible. Years ago, you might think it is a massive thing to go over to Europe. Now there's enough people over there to offer support and who have been there and done it. It's about reassurance and transparency. The worst thing that can happen is to have a whole bunch of promises that fall through. We have good contacts around the globe and player reps," says Senio.

Some young Pasifika men struggle in a very foreign environment such as France, where they are far from family support and often have to turn towards one another. It is not just about getting the lineout calls correct in French. Senio himself, as a halfback, had to get his head around that. It paid off, but was not easy.

"I didn't know any French before I went to France, but we had the attitude that we had to immerse ourselves and pick it up. For the boys, it depends on individuals as well. There is a certain type of quality you need to have to successfully immerse yourself in another culture. Are they coachable? Language is a barrier at times. But in saying that, there are so many transferable skills that you can bring in."

He has seen plenty of agents out there, many of them cowboys. MAGS principal Dale Burden was probably referring to those mavericks recently when he talked of being "sick and tired of agents and the rubbish they talk."

There are just a handful of fully accredited agents in New Zealand, most of them reputable, with credibility.

"There are sharks out there and enough case studies as examples. We were dealing with an individual in the office the other day who had gone to represent a couple of younger boys. The younger boys weren't happy with the terms. We had a look at it and tried to massage it," says Senio.
"If the boys want to come into the office or give us a call, we can help them with dealing with that landscape."
Senio has some wide-ranging work ahead of him. He will continue the presentations and get in front of students, teachers, parents and coaches. Because the march of schools rugby and the tricky transition into professional rugby shows no signs of abating.