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'Nothing from up top': Billy Proctor staying patient after All Blacks XV tour
By Adam Julian
In September 2018, Billy Proctor created history when he signed a five-year deal with the Hurricanes.
At the time it was the longest contract a rookie had signed for a New Zealand Super Rugby franchise.
In 2023 Proctor was awarded Hurricanes Player of the Year. He amassed 850 minutes in a dozen appearances and carried on his stoic and clinical form with the All Blacks XV in Japan.
In the second match of the tour, he scored four tries in a 41-27 win over the Brave Blossoms in Tokyo.
"It was a few catches and put-downs," Proctor humbly told RugbyPass.
"I'd never scored a hat-trick in my career so it was pretty cool to get four tries.
"Japan was a cool experience. It's a very polite and interesting culture over there.
"It was 30 degrees every day which is a bit different to Wellington too."
With All Blacks David Havili, Braydon Ennor, Dallas McLeod, and Jack Goodhue all suffering injuries this season, and Alex Nankivell bound for Munster, the hot form of Procter was timely.
Had he heard from the National selectors?
"There’s been nothing from up top. I'm just going about my business. Doing that, the other stuff will take care of itself," Procter responded.
Understated, measured, and diligent are qualities that have made Procter enduringly appealing to coaches and teammates.
He flourished in Japan beside Stephen Perofeta and Jack Goodhue.
"Stephen's awesome. Cool and claim. He knows what he's doing, and can really light it up," Proctor acclaimed.
"Jack is world-class. We were still learning from each other when the tour ended. It was awesome to be in that environment."
Proctor has been in a professional rugby environment since he was a teenager. His brother Matt Proctor was previously a centre for the Hurricanes who made 66 appearances between 2013 and 2019 and was capped by the All Blacks in a 69-31 win against Japan in Toyko in 2019. TJ Perenara compared the two brothers in 2020.
"Billy is a lot like his brother. He's very very good defensively. He understands defensive reads, offensive shifts, makes good calls defensively.
"Then offensively, he's a big, strong kid who you put him in half a gap, he'll take it.”
Little appears to have changed but Billy has definitely matured.
“That feels like a long time ago. I’ve pretty much learned everything I know about rugby and life at the Hurricanes. It’s a privilege to be in this environment. It has its ups and downs. You’ve got to work hard every day, look to build all the time.”
Billy has scored a dozen tries in 46 games for the Hurricanes and will shortly be a vital cog in the Wellington Lions defense of the NPC and Ranfurly Shield titles won in 2022. Proctor has featured 48 times for Wellington, including wins in 10 out of 11 appearances last year.
“That was a memorable one. It was pretty cool to be a part of a run championship. We definitely have what it takes to repeat. We will be building slowly before peaking at the end of the season hopefully.”
The Wellington Lions start their NPC campaign on Saturday in Palmerston North against Manawatu. All Blacks Asafo Aumua, Dominic Bird, and Julian Savea will likely be in the match-day squad.
Proctor re-signed with the Hurricanes for another two seasons.
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Warren, if you think you should stay on coaching Wales, you are beyond deluded. If you love Wales & Welsh rugby as much as you say you do (& I'm sure you probably do) you should resign immediately so this once proud & passionate rugby nation can rebuild without you. How many of your players will make the British & Irish Lions squad.?
It's time to walk the plank.!
Go to commentsYeah nar I pretty much agree with that sentiment, wasn't just about the lineout though.
Yeah, I think it's the future of SR, even TRC. Graham above just now posting about how good a night it was with a dbl header of ENGvSA and NZvFrance, and now I don't want to kick SA or Argentina out of TRC but it would be great if in this next of the woods 2 more top teams could come in to create more of these sort of nights (for rugby's appeal). Often Arg and SA and both travel here and you get those games but more often doesn't work out right.
Obviously a long way off but USA and Japan are the obvious two. First thing we need to do is get Eddie Jones kicked out of Japan so they can start improving again and then get a couple of US teams in SRP (even if one its just a US based and augmented Jaguares).
It will start off the whole conferences are crap debate again (which I will continue to argue vehemently against), but imagine a 6 team Pacific conference, Tokyo Sunwolves (drafted from Tokyo JRLO teams), Tokyo All Stars (made up of best remaining foreign players and overseas drafts), ALL Nihon (best of local non Tokyo based talent, inc China/Korea etc, with mainland Japan), a could of West Coast american franchises and perhaps a second self PI driven Hawai'i based team, or Jagaures. So I see a short NFL like 3 or 4 month comp as fitting best, maybe not even a full round, NZvAUSvPAC, all games taking place within a 6hr window. Model for NZ will definitely still require a competitive and funded NPC!
On the Crusaders, I liked last years ending with Grace on the bench (ovbiously form dependent but thats how it ended) and Lio-Willie at 8. I could have Blackadder trying to be a 7 but think balance will be used with him at 6 and Kellow as 7. Scott Barrett is an international 6 sized player. It is just NZ style/model that pushes him into the tight, I reckon he'd be a great loose player, and saders have Strange and Cahill as bigger players (plus that change could draw someone like Darry back). Same with Haig now, hes not grown yet but Barrett hight and been playing 6, now that the Highlanders have only chosen two locks he'll be playing lock, and that is going to change his growth trajectory massively, rather than seeing him grow like an International 6.
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