Macca Springer is proof rugby prospects need not attend a big name school to make it as a pro.
Growing up in Richmond, on the southern fringe of Nelson, he heard the chat – go to Nelson College if you want to play rugby.
But Springer wasn’t buying it. Given the opportunity to go to the school All Blacks David Havili and Leicester Fainga’anuku attended, he instead opted to be schooled at Waimea College.
“I thought to myself, if I’m going to make it, I’m going to make it somewhere, it doesn’t matter what school. So I stuck with the old roots, stuck with my mates. It’s all worked out,” Springer said.
Touted as one of the most promising young players in the country, the 19-year-old outside back has signed a three-year deal with the Christchurch-based franchise.
“Sometimes I think to myself, it’s surreal. I don’t even believe it half the time,” Springer said.
Given the name McKay, only to become known as Macca, Springer was described by one Crusaders staff member as a Will Jordan-George Bridge hybrid, possessing breakout speed, size, elusiveness, aerial prowess and a booming boot.
No wonder, then, head coach Scott Robertson’s face lights up when discussing what his team’s attack might look like with Springer’s silky skill set in the picture.
The Crusaders had long had Springer in their sights – it was hard not to take note of the speedy and tall (1.90m) athlete who repeatedly tore defences to shreds playing for the Waimea Combined First XV, a team made up of players from eight schools in the Tasman region.
Having ditched his other sporting love – basketball – and gone all in on rugby in year 11, Springer made the team but had to wait until he was a year older to take the paddock.
Once he did, he flourished at both centre and fullback and went on to win the Philip McDonald Memorial Medal for best schoolboy player in the Crusaders region in 2020. Fellow Crusader Fainga’anuku won it in 2017.
“There was a bit of talk, if you want to play rugby you have to go to Nelson College. But I stuck with my mates and played footy with them which probably helped me, because I didn’t think about rugby after school,” Springer said.
“I seemed to enjoy it so much, it just made it easy to play rugby.”
“It’s probably even harder, because you have to go to work from 7-3, then you get to training, then you have to do a gym session, then you might have club training after that,” Springer said.
“It’s pretty tough on the body, but it gets you through it. It gets you set up for the next years.”
They’ve arrived. In addition to a fine season with the Mako in the NPC, Springer played for the Crusaders under-20s and New Zealand under-20s in 2022.
He attracted interest from other New Zealand Super Rugby franchises. But for Springer, born and bred in Crusaders country, and a big fan of them growing up, committing to the 13-times champions was the only option.
That’s despite joining a stacked outside backs group, which includes All Blacks Jordan, Sevu Reece and Fainga’anauku.
Chay Fihaki and fellow new faces Melani Nanai and Pepesana Patafilo also loom as competition.
Springer and the Crusaders wrapped up their pre-Christmas training window in Christchurch on Friday and will regroup at Rugby Park on January 9.
