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The recent selection of Hugh Blake in the Scottish squad for the Six Nations raised eyebrows and hackles in the Northern Hemisphere.
Blake’s inclusion was at the expense of former skipper Kelly Brown and highly regarded Scarlets flanker John Barclay.
Blake himself confessed he was surprised to be picked.
“Yeah my call up has come as a surprise,” he said on on Radio Clyde.
“I’ve come over at such a young age with ambitions to eventually play for Scotland… It’s all happened earlier than expected but I’m honoured and psyched to be a part of it.
“There are some quality players who have been left out of the side who are Scotland legends, but I can’t do anything about that.”
Blake is eligible for the Scots courtesy of his Glasgow-born grandparents, Hugh and Maureen, who emigrated to New Zealand’s North Island in the 1960s. Grandfather Hugh was a long-serving and respected school teacher at Fairfield College in Hamilton. All Blacks loose forwards Aaron Hopa and Aran Pene attended Fairfield.
Hugh was brought up on a farm in the Te Awamutu region of the Waikato. Despite never visiting Scotland in his youth, Scottish culture was always a part of the Blake household.
“Growing up Hugh and the boys would get up in the middle of the night and watch Scotland play in the Six Nations,” Mum Catherine (Cath) explains. “Hugh has worn a kilt to some special family occasions and has always been aware of his Scottish heritage.”
Hugh has three brothers who are all accomplished sportsmen. Oldest brother Hamish is based in Perth and plays cricket. William is an adept skier who works for AJ Hackett’s bungy jumping business in Queenstown, and younger brother Andrew is a footballer in the Wellington Phoenix under-20s program.
Hugh played football up until the age of 11. Cath explains a trip to the Pirongia Rugby and Sports Club resulted in a swift change of sports.
“Hugh decided to have a crack at rugby and absolutely loved it. He enjoyed the physical nature of the game. He has always had a feisty and competitive side.”
All four Blake boys boarded at Hamilton Boys’ High School, renowned as one of the most outstanding sports colleges in New Zealand. That reputation is what encouraged Cath to send her boys to the college.
“Hamilton Boys’ was outstanding for my kids. The facilities were outstanding. They could train on site and there were lots of positive role models who encouraged and pursed a culture of excellence.”
Hugh was a member of the First XV at Hamilton Boys’ between 2009 and 2010, playing 41 matches for a side that only lost twice in two seasons – winning the notoriously competitive National Top Four title in 2009 and finishing runners-up in 2010.
Hamilton’s coach is Nigel Hotham, who coached the New Zealand Secondary Schools in 2012 and has won four National First XV championships. Nigel recalls Hugh’s impact in his debut season.
“2009 was supposed to be a rebuilding year for us. We won the National Championship in 2008 and lost our captain, future All Black Tawera Kerr-Barlow. However we won every major trophy in 2009 because personalities like Nick Ross (Waikato ITM) and Hugh Blake drove the team culture.
“Hugh has an edgy personality. He is fiercely competitive and sets high standards for himself. He is one of those players who is always niggling away.
“Occasionally Hugh would get be a bit edgy off the field to so I had to have a couple of one on one’s with him. I wanted him to retain that competitive spirit, but channel it better.”
In 2009 Hugh missed selection for the New Zealand schools – the flankers chosen were future All Blacks Sam Cane and Steven Luatua. Earlier in the season Blake and Cane had faced each other.
“Tauranga Boys’ College was the only New Zealand school to beat us in 2009,” Hotham recalls. “They had a good team with Sam at openside and another All Black Nathan Harris at hooker. It was a real epic game. The tussle between Sam and Hugh was immense.”
In 2010 Hamilton won the Sanix World Youth Invitational title to unofficially become the best First XV in the world. Hugh was selected for the Chiefs Under-18 regional tournament team and was unlucky to miss the New Zealand schools again.
Hotham says, “Hugh was easily in the top 100 schoolboy players in the country. It was little surprise to me that he made the New Zealand under-20s out of school.
“I always thought Hugh would play Super Rugby. He is extremely skilful and his work at the breakdown is exceptional. He is quick to arrive to the tackle, strong over the ball and technically very good.
“If you are good enough to play Super Rugby in New Zealand, you are good enough to have a crack at the Scottish national team.”
Another influential figure in Hugh’s development has been Dave Dillon. Dillon is an ex-Waikato flanker who coached the Sacred Heart College First XV in Auckland. Their recent alumni include Solomone Kata (New Zealand Warriors) and Daniel ‘Tongan Thor’ Tupou (Queensland Reds).
“Dave coached Hugh in the Waikato Under-16’s and has remained a great friend and mentor,” Cath explains.
“Hugh will often seek advice from Dave who is well respected figure in the Waikato. Dave has recently joined the Chiefs.”
After school Hugh went to Otago to study commerce at University and play for the Dunedin Rugby Football Club – the oldest rugby club in Otago. Hugh quickly made the Otago ITM Cup side and played 17 games in three seasons. In 2012 and 2013 he was a member of the Highlanders Development squad and wider training group.
The biggest achievement for Hugh since leaving school was earning selection for the New Zealand under-20s squad for the IRB Junior World Championships in South Africa. New Zealand was defeated in the final 22-16 by the ‘Baby Boks’. Handre Pollard (four penalties) and Jan Serfontein (try) combined to score 17 points for South Africa.
Initially Hugh wasn’t the preferred starter but Cath explains that coach and former Canterbury lock Rob Penney brought the best out in Hugh.
“Rob Penney was a great coach. He was someone that Hugh really related to. He has a sound understanding of the game and really drove Hugh who only missed about twenty minutes, in the whole tournament.”
Cath travelled to South Africa to watch the tournament and says it was an “amazing experience” and a “major step up” from anything Hugh had experienced before.
Injures have been an issue for Hugh. In 2014 he dislocated his shoulder and elbow, which resulted in little game time for the Highlanders and his Super rugby contract not being renewed. Cath says this resulted in a “loss of confidence” for Hugh, who decided to take some time out and travel.
“Hugh was disappointed to be cut from the Highlanders so he decided to take a break and have a look at life. He went to Scotland to see some of the family and was offered a chance to play for Edinburgh. It was an opportunity that was too good to turn down.”
Cath concedes that she was just as surprised as Hugh when he was picked for Scotland.
“It was a pleasant surprise. We are obviously rapt for him. Some of the criticism has been a little tough to take though.”
Interestingly, Jake Heenan from the same New Zealand under-20s team has been playing for Connacht in Ireland, and Hugh Blake is far from the first ‘kilted Kiwi’. Sean Lineen, son of 12-test All Black midfielder Terry, started the trend of New Zealand-born players with Scottish ancestry switching allegiance.
Lineen qualified for Scotland through his grandfather and arrived in Scotland in 1988. Two years later was a member of the Five Nations Grand Slam-winning side that subsequently toured New Zealand. He played 29 tests and rather than return home to Papakura settled in Edinburgh and later coached the Glasgow Warriors.
Other Kiwis to represent Scotland include Shaun Longstaff, Glen Metcalfe, the Leslie brothers John and Martin, Gordon Simpson, Cameron Mather, Brendan Laney, Blair Cowan, Matt Mustchin and Sean Maitland, who was also educated at Hamilton Boys’ High School.
Hugh denies that he has taken an “easier option” by turning his back on the nation of his birth.
“There are no easy caps to win in international rugby. The quality is no different.”
Hugh said recently, “I hope I’m the type of player the fans will want to see. I’m not sure at the moment. I’m new to the Scotland set up but I hope I can prove myself, not only to the coaches, but to the fans as well.”
Sources: Daily Mail, The Scotsman, ESPN Scrum.com, New Zealand Herald. Thanks to Nigel Hotham, Clive Akers, Barbara Clark and Cath Blake.
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