The introverted ‘assassin’ tipped to shine in first All Blacks start

Scrum-half Cam Roigard will get his first start for the All Blacks when they face Namibia in their Rugby World Cup Pool A clash on Friday.

It has been a meteoric rise for the electric number nine who only got his first Test cap in July this year. That came as a reward for a stunning Super Rugby Pacific season with the Hurricanes where he showed how prolific he is for a player in his role.

The try scoring continued at Test level where he bagged a try against the Springboks at Twickenham in what was one of the very few positives of the day.

Quiet competitor

Hurricanes team-mate and All Blacks skipper against Namibia, Ardie Savea, described Roigard as a quiet man but one with a burning competitive nature.

“He’s a quiet assassin, that guy,” said Savea. “He’s really quiet, but deep down he’s a competitor and he doesn’t like losing. For example Nug (Aaron Smith) was in the gym this week and he was pumping some good bench press weights, and I see Cam out of the corner of my eye just watching him.

“It’s awesome to see Cam here, and to think where he’s come from and the journey he’s taken. It’s great he gets that opportunity. He’s a quiet man, but hopefully he’s not quiet this week and he speaks through his actions.”

Roigard thought Savea’s description of him was fair enough and underlined how he is always trying to communicate well on the field.

“I suppose that’s pretty accurate from Ards. He knows me quite well,” said Roigard in Toulouse as he contemplated just his third cap with the All Blacks.

“I’m always trying to develop my game, and I know how important communication is out on the field. So I’m trying to be loud when I need to be loud, and then just staying myself off the field.

“I’ve always been competitive. I’ve always tried to chase people in my position, right from Super Rugby to where I am now, That’s a big part of my development. So though I’m a little bit introverted, being competitive and pushing myself and others around me is a big part of trying to be a better player.”

Head coach Ian Foster believes the starting opportunity is well deserved after Roigard’s impressive cameos off the bench.

“It’s an exciting time for him,” said the coach. “The times he’s come off the bench, he’s done a really good job and he’s learning all the time. He’s gaining in composure and this is a very real opportunity for him.

“I can’t wait to see him out there. I’m sure there will be a few nerves early on but he’s a quality player, he’s doing a lot of work behind the scenes and he has impressed us in that regard.”

New half-back pairing

Roigard will form a new and exciting half-back pairing with the creative superstar Damian McKenzie. The fly-half is looking forward to the link up and running the attack with the Hurricane.

“I’ve watched a lot of Cam this year, and I know how good he is,” he said. “It’s important this week we get across the detail, so l know what Cam wants of me, and he knows what I want from him. He’s really exciting to play outside, so I’ll just give him some early comms and let him do his thing.

“We’re always given the green light to attack and back our skillsets. But we’ve got to make sure we’re clinical and disciplined around our game-plan. The big boys like us putting the ball in front of them with our kicking game, and clearly that was a learning from last weekend.”

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