Rugby was always going to be a major part of Brackin Karauria-Henry’s life. Growing up in one of the great nurseries of the game in the Canterbury region of New Zealand’s South Island, the utility back was immersed in the sport from a young age.

A Super Rugby debut must be a daunting but exhilarating experience for any young player. But making it in the pressure cooker of a semi-final, against one of the competition heavyweights in their own back yard, takes the term ‘baptism of fire’ to a whole new level.

A stint of hard yakka fencing in the north west of NSW convinced young prop Paddy Ryan to give his rugby a red-hot go!