Hayman excited and humbled by captain chance

Jun 25 2009 by Nick Purewal, The Journal

Humbled by his first ever captaincy role, Newcastle Falcons’ new skipper Carl Hayman told Nick Purewal lifting weights and building bonds will dominate the next month

PERENNIALLY leading from the front, Carl Hayman has never captained a rugby team. The cornerstone of every professional side he has graced, Hayman has had to wait until his 30th year for his first armband.

For a man with such a hulking and brooding game face, off pitch Hayman is humility personified, so when he feels honoured to be considered captain material, there’s no double-speak involved.

Apprenticeships maketh great All Blacks, among which number Hayman is of course counted, the New Plymouth- born tighthead following in former Falcons team-mate Joe McDonnell’s footsteps through Dunedin’s King’s High before graduating to Southland and then Otago.

Hayman’s place in New Zealand rugby folklore was forever set in stone when he became the 1,000th All Black back in 2001. But despite debuting in Fiji, he had to bide his time until 2004 to force a regular starting berth.

Having had to sit behind the likes of McDonnell at club level, Hayman found himself patiently following suit until he could make the black No 3 jersey his own.

But John Mitchell rewarded that patience when he assumed the reins from Graham Henry, and by the time Hayman landed on North East shores in 2007, he had amassed 45 caps.

He graced every All Black age group team, beat the Lions with both the Maori and the All Blacks and made 81 Super Rugby appearances – all that and not even once did he take charge. It is surely little wonder then, that when Phil Dowson announced his Northampton Saints switch, Hayman was first in the queue to Steve Bates’ office.

Doing away with the pesky time-biding business, Hayman was hungry for ever-increasing challenges during his Falcons stint, and he confirmed as much with rugby director Bates.