The ex-All Blacks Sevens and NZ U20s flyer waiting in the wings for Blues
Caleb Tangitau may have only just turned 21 but he’s already lived out some incredible rugby dreams that have come as a welcomed surprise to the young man himself.
Every rugby player starts out as a kid with a dream. Tangitau’s “big rugby head” father introduced the youngster to the sport at just four years of age and he hasn’t looked back since.
Tangitau has represented New Zealand at senior level on the sevens circuit and with the ‘Baby Blacks’ at the World Rugby U20s Championship, and that’s not even everything.
This is the story of a young man with a dream and a burning passion to both play and compete with some genuine superstars of the game, including some world-class All Blacks.
“They’re your dreams but you don’t actually think that it’s gonna happen,” Tangitau told RugbyPass earlier this month. “It all just happened so quickly. (I'm) grateful for it.”
After starring in the prestigious Westlake Boys High School First XV on Auckland’s North Shore, the rising star was given the opportunity to don the black jersey on the international stage.
Tangitau hadn’t played much sevens until his final year of high school at Westlake. But after starring with the New Zealand Condor sevens team in 2020, the All Blacks Sevens came knocking.
The then-teenager was offered the chance to trial with the star-studded New Zealand side and was later given a contract to join the likes of Sam Dickson and Joe Webber in the squad on a full-time deal.
Tangitau was starstruck but confident; excited and hungry. But the young Kiwi with a dream was just hopeful of eventually playing “one tournament” for the All Blacks Sevens.
Tangitau did a bit more than that.
As a Commonwealth Games and Rugby World Cup Sevens medallist, and doing so before his 20th birthday, the former SVNS flyer described the experience as both “pretty crazy” and “unreal."
“Me and my dad used to watch sevens a lot when I was little so I’d see like Tim Mikkelson and those sort of players were playing,” Tangitau explained.
“Me and my dad had talks say, ‘Would you do sevens if it came?’ I’d be like, ‘Oh I don’t really know.’ I’d never really played sevens until my last year of high school so we didn’t really think it was on the table for me.
“Luckily played schools sevens for NZ and then the year after, so my first year out of school, they asked me to come in for a couple of weeks just as a trial sort of thing.
“It all sort of happened so fast,” he added. “I was just looking at it like, ‘Hey, if I don’t play the best I’m still young.’ I went in with that mindset… I can keep growing. I don’t really feel too much pressure, luckily.”
Tangitau became a regular with the New Zealanders on the now-called SVNS Series. While the Olympics is an option for rugby players nowadays, the speedster has ventured in another direction.
The New Zealander has gone all-in on the 15-player game.
Selected as part of the New Zealand squad for the World Rugby U20 Championship in South Africa last year, Tangitau was more than impressive in the black jersey.
Playing alongside other promising prospects in Aotearoa, including the likes of Macca Springer and Noah Hotham, the winger scored five tries in four matches.
“That team is full of great players. I just thought we didn’t quite have quite enough time as a group to do well. Definitely think we had the players,” he said.
“The experience was cool as. Just to match up against other players around the world my age just to see where I’m at, am I better than these guys?
“It was a cool experience. I think we were away for seven weeks all up. It was fun though, it was cool. Just an amazing experience.”
It was during last year’s National Provincial Championship season that Tangitau, along with his mum and agent, decided to charge ahead with rugby’s more traditional format.
While the Olympics in Paris were just around the corner, the opportunity to make his mark in a talented squad with the Blues in Super Rugby Pacific proved too good to turn down.
It was a tough decision but one that Tangitau seemed comfortable with.
“It would have been at the end of NPC last year where we had no clue what I was going to do,” the Auckland outside back revealed.
“We just thought it was the best thing for my future to stay with the Blues. It was real tough.”
When Tangitau spoke with RugbyPass one afternoon earlier this month, the speedster had just gotten home from Blues training.
Joining the youngster at those sessions are genuine A-listers in the world of rugby union, including All Blacks Caleb Clarke, Rieko Ioane, Mark Tele'a, Dalton Papali’i and more.
“That’s another crazy thing. I thought I was starstruck going to Tim Mikkelson and stuff and then I came over to the Blues and I’m looking at my inside and it’s Rieko (Ioane) defending with me.
“As a young guy watching that, it’s crazy. But then you see they’re just regular dudes seeing if I need help and all that sort of stuff.
“I’m sort of used to it now.”
The Blues wing has only played one Super Rugby match. Tangitau was named to come off the pine away to the Melbourne Rebels at AAMI Park on April 4 last year.
It’s been a while since, but Tangitau has continued to chip away behind the scenes – working hard for another opportunity.
Tangitau impressed during the Blues’ pre-season trip to Japan, and the former New Zealand U20s representative also crossed for a five-pointer in the 38-24 win over the Chiefs in Takapuna.
But until another opportunity comes, the winger is focused on working away behind the scenes and learning from a fairly handy mentor and friend in All Black Caleb Clarke.
“If I had to choose someone it’d probably be Caleb, Caleb Clarke,” he added when asked if any All Blacks had taken him under their wing.
“I’ve gotten pretty close with him. When we went over to Japan he was my roomie for the two weeks so we’ve always had those little talks, asking if I need help. Also when I made my debut he was my roomie as well.
“We’ve gotten pretty close so I’m lucky to learn from him as an All Black.”
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Some interesting stats that just proved what my first impression of NZ’s drive to speed up Rugby Union would amount to - fine margins here and there to cut a few seconds off the game and nothing else. To do more there would have to be wholesale changes to the game like doing away with scrums, lineouts and bringing back the ELV’s to have free kicks instead of penalties. Very little chance of it happening but, in the end, Ruby Union would be a 15-man version of Rugby League. There are reasons why Rugby Union is globally more popular that Rugby League and what NZ are also not considering is the unintended consequences of what they want to achieve. This will end up turning Rugby Union into a low value product that will not be acceptable to the paying public. If people really wanted a sped-up version of rugby, then why is Rugby Union globally way more popular than Rugby League? Rugby lovers all over the world are also not stupid and have seen through what NZ are trying to achieve here, selfishly to bring back their glory days of dominance over every other nation and compete with Rugby League that is dominant in Australasia. NH countries just don’t have the cattle, or the fantastic weather needed to play like NZ SR franchises do so good luck to whoever has to try and convince the NH to accept going back to the days of NZ dominance and agreeing to wreck the game in the process. I have serious doubts on the validity of the TV stats presented by GP. All they did was expand the broadcasting base by putting it on free to air, not even any indication of arresting the continued drop in viewership. Match day attendance goes hand in hand with broadcast ratings so if there was an increase in the one you should expect to see it with the other. However, the drop in match day attendance is very evident to the casual highlights package viewer. The only club who looks to be getting solid attendance is the Drua. I am calling it now that NZ’s quest to speed up the game will fail and so will the vote on the 20-minute red card.
Go to commentsIt’s a good, timely wake up call for NZ Rugby (seem to be a few of them lately!) - sort out the bureaucratic nonsense at board level. We can’t expect to stay the number one option without keeping fans/players engaged. We’ve obviously been bleeding players to league for years but can’t let the floodgates open (although I think this headline is hyperbolic as it’s a result of a recent Warriors pathways system where they are tracking things more closely) Understand the need to focus boys on rugby if they’re at a proud rugby school too, don’t think it’s harsh at all re Barakat in Hamilton. Reward the committed players with squad positions. An elite 1st XV system in NZ has done more for league than they even realise, think it’s good to protect our game further.
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