news, latest-news

Canberra rugby prodigy Will Goddard has been approached by the Waikato Chiefs after the New Zealand giants waved goodbye to one of the game's best playmakers. The Super Rugby semi-finalists have shown interest in Goddard as they look to fill the void left by 50-time All Blacks representative Aaron Cruden at the end of the season. The Chiefs are keen to take Goddard across the Tasman in a move that could take him from studying for his HSC tests at Canberra Grammar to the cauldron of Super Rugby at Waikato Stadium. The ACT Brumbies are desperate to hold on to the promising flyhalf while Goddard has also fielded interest from Shute Shield powerhouse Sydney University. Goddard got "a massive shock" when he was approached by Chiefs player identification and development manager Kent Currie after leading the ACT schoolboys to their first national rugby championship in 29 years. The Canberra schoolboy was hoping to launch his Wallabies dream when he plays for the Australian Barbarians in a September series against New Zealand and Fiji's schoolboys sides. But instead of dreaming of Wallaby gold he could be packing his bags within a month to take up a deal in New Zealand. "Very, very surreal. To think this is the place the best players in the world are coming out of, to have the opportunity to go over there is unreal," Goddard said. "I can't really explain it, it's that surreal. It would mean the world really. As a kid I've always hoped to one day be a Wallaby. As you get older you start to realise that opportunities come in small instances. "If I ended up playing in New Zealand it wouldn't worry me, as long as I'm playing rugby, enjoying it and playing at the highest level possible, that's all that really matters to me. "I would have thought that they would have had a big enough talent pool to pick from but I think there was a couple of things they liked about me. "A couple of teams over there, especially on the North Island, are looking for a flyhalf." The 18-year-old superboot admits he is leaning towards joining either Bay of Plenty or Waikato's development systems but still feels loyalty to the Brumbies for their investment in him. Goddard says the opportunity wouldn't even be on the table is not for ACT schoolboys coach Dan Hawke and Brumbies academy mentor Russell Ingram. Goddard talked with Currie about his plans for next year and admitted they will be orientated around rugby. "He went away and asked a couple of the [provincial] teams, Bay of Plenty, Waikato - just under the Chiefs region," Goddard said. "A week later Bay of Plenty came back and said they'd love to have me in their academy team, with the academy and also playing with the 19s which was pretty awesome. Even Waikato have shown a bit of interest. "It's a tough one because I've got no family there. I'd be leaving a lot behind, university options too, just going to somewhere new. "But at the same time it could be an awesome experience to develop, not only as a rugby player but as a character." Goddard was a shining light for Grammar during his final season in the ACTJRU's under 18s competition, won convincingly by an undefeated Marist College outfit. ACT schoolboys coach Hawke expected bigger and better things after the national championship decider where Goddard looked more like a "seasoned 100-game first grader" than a schoolboy player.

https://nnimgt-a.akamaihd.net/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/c0776ca0-756c-4dff-ad0f-ca5ff15a0d96/r0_133_2000_1263_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg