Chris Lowrey's induction into life with the Blues has already pitted him against some giants of Super rugby. Photo / Dean Purcell
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That expression about getting thrown in at the deep end applies to Blues No 8 Chris Lowrey.
A new face in the squad this season, Lowrey was pressed into immediate action when he squared off on debut against Wallaby Richard Brown and then potent Springbok Pierre Spies in his next
assignment.
Talk about a rugby education. Lowrey compared very favourably against both, even in the shellacking the Blues took at Pretoria before he got a rest when All Black Jerome Kaino joined the squad for the final tour game against the Stormers.
But for tomorrow's match against the Sharks, Lowrey has returned to the back of the scrum where he will pit his ability against the rising international talents of the Sharks No 8 Ryan Kankowski. This is some jump up from the national championship where Lowrey played a couple of seasons under Blues coach Pat Lam.
At Mt Albert Grammar where he was head boy and one of the tallest in the 1st XV, Lowrey ended up playing most of his rugby at lock. But Lam is grooming him to use his size, speed and endurance from the back of the scrum.
If the coach, who played No 8 for Auckland, Samoa and the All Blacks, sees that positional future for Lowrey then it would be foolish to quibble. Lowrey grins at the idea.
"At the start of the season Pat said he wanted to develop me as a No 8. We have been working on fine-tuning things at the back of the scrum, sorting out our ball skills and that sort of thing. Being accurate is the biggest thing because mistakes at this level can really cost you," he said.
Nearby is All Black loosie Jerome Kaino, who is another valuable source of assistance on coping with the demands of the position.
When Lowrey plonks his 1.94m figure on the scales they register about 110kg, while he has built up a strong playing record after school with the New Zealand Colts, his Ponsonby club and Auckland.
Lowrey enrolled as a commerce student at university but that progress has slowed as his rugby career accelerated. There was a glitch last season when several injuries interrupted his national championship progress and he was relieved to collect a Super rugby contract.
His nerves eased during the pre-season matches with the Blues and Lowrey says he has some steps which help him deal with the rising anxiety levels before matches.
"It has not been too bad, I have got my routines to be relaxed and the reviews of my first two games have been okay," he said.
However, he knows it will only get tougher. Travelling back from Africa then coming up against the unbeaten Sharks tomorrow takes his rugby to another level but one he is keen to experience.
