Rugby: Winging along on modern rugby and ancient history

By WYNNE GRAY

Find Doug Howlett on a long flight and he probably has his nose buried in some hefty book on ancient history.

He is a part-time university student working towards a bachelor of arts with a special interest in the Roman and Egyptian civilisations.

He tends to put his studies on hold during the Super 12 series but plenty of travel allows him to keep up his reading for a return to his lessons during the NPC season.

Although Howlett is a scholar of ancient times, his rugby coaches also speak warmly of him as a present-day rugby student, a player who works very hard on his game, loves to learn and is very much a team man.

The mix of interests suits Howlett, who seems to have been round the top-level rugby scene for a long time.

He has, but is just 21, only a year older than exciting team-mate Orene Ai'i, but already a seasoned player when you consider he made his Auckland debut five years ago and is into his fourth season of Super 12.

As a very talented schoolboy athlete and head boy at Auckland Grammar, Howlett played for Auckland midway through 1996 on the wing to become the first schoolboy to play for that province for almost 80 years.

Until he went to secondary school, Howlett had always played rugby league, but at Grammar he got no choice. It did not take him long to make an impact.

"As a fourth former I was too heavy for any of the other grades so I went into the First XV," he recalled.

Current Blues prop Paul Thomson was his captain and he remembers Highlanders centre Jeremy Stanley being round the team.

Four years later, Howlett was the big wheel, captain of the First XV and the school athletics side and fast enough to win the national secondary schools 100m hurdles crown.

Athletics was just a chance to have a break from rugby - that sport and ancient history were his passions.

"I was always interested in the whole package of those civilisations. I studied Latin at school and it was one of my better subjects," he said.

However rugby has stalled some of the study progress with Howlett playing for the Highlanders - and scoring three tries in his first game - in his first year out of school, then the Hurricanes and now into his second season for the Blues.

He has been pursued to play for Tonga. He qualifies through his mother's ancestry but wants to play in the black jersey of New Zealand. He has that pedigree, having already played for his country at under-16, secondary schools and for the last three years with the Colts.

The speedster has filled in very capably at fullback for teams, but Blues and Auckland coach Grant Fox wants Howlett to settle on the wing.

"We are not going to muck him round. Even when we had Adrian Cashmore out we decided to keep Doug where he is on the wing," said Fox.

"He has very good speed there. He beats people with that and his step. He is not frightened of confrontation and is a solid defender."

Howlett showed those qualities in the Blues' three games so far, his defence against the Bumbies and attack against the Chiefs being high quality rugby. He is quick (it is a photo-finish with the Blues other speedster, Joeli Vidiri), his handling is useful and he appears to read the game well.

With the bye this round, the Blues and Howlett will have to watch other teams streak away from them even more on the points table. The side have been given the week off and apart from reading, Howlett has been helping his father build a house.

He might watch a bit of footy too this weekend, but come Monday, Howlett and the Blues know they have to roll their sleeves up in a week of crucial preparation for their first home game, against the Waratahs.