'We looked in the mirror and had some pretty honest conversations'

It wasn’t meant to turn out like this for the Baby Blacks at this first Junior World Championship since 2019. The tournament’s most successful country since its inception in 2008 would have expected this Sunday to be playing in the semi-finals and to be in the hunt to win a seventh title in 13 attempts.

Instead, they find themselves stuck on the day’s undercard in Athlone, taking on the equally frustrated Junior Wallabies in the fifth-to-eighth-place semi-final that will open proceedings before Ireland tackle South Africa and France take on England.

The Tasman rivals have been living in each other’s pockets their entire time in Cape Town, sharing the same downtown Southern Sun hotel these past three weeks following on from the time shared during their pre-tournament two-match series in Wellington where they again shared accommodation.

What did for New Zealand’s prospects was the 35-14 dusting they suffered last week against the French in the rain and mud of Paarl, a misfire where they fell 28 points into arrears before firing a few consolation shots. That left them chasing qualification as the lone best runner-up, a challenge that was insurmountable despite a 62-19 pool-ending win over Japan.

England progressed on points difference, leaving Will Stodart and co ruminating about their ifs, buts and maybes campaign which also included a 27-26 opening-day win river Wales after they had trailed at the break 5-19. The versatile loose forward/second row took pride in that round one bounce back when facing a potentially humiliating defeat to the side that finished bottom of the U20ss Six Nations in March.

“The way we addressed it, we looked each other in the eye and said our attitude isn’t where it needs to be at half-time,” Stodart told RugbyPass. “We got smacked in the face in that first half, but it was awesome how we held ourselves accountable.

"We have got boys in this team who are honest with each other and that is how we needed to be at half-time. The bottom line was we needed to front up and fire a few punches... we looked at ourselves in the mirror and had some pretty honest conversations.

“The public back home have a bit of a high expectation of any team that wears a black jersey. There is a lot of pride, immense pride in wearing it. When we wear this jersey, we know we represent everyone back home.

"There is pressure but there is always pressure when you are doing something that is pretty important and the whole country is getting behind it. France are the standard at the moment, a powerhouse in U20s rugby. We have a lot of respect for them.”

And Australia? “We had a game against them in Wellington and they were at our hotel as well. They are great boys. We didn’t talk too much before those first couple of games because I guess we were both pretty eager to smack each other on the field, but now they are bloody good boys. We have chewed a wee bit of fat with them off the field.

“They are pretty similar to us; it’s pretty cool to share a hotel with them because they have got a good side too. We haven’t spent a whole lot of time together, just at dinner and things like that. But it is good to have them around. They are just across the ditch and are pretty similar to us. They have just got a bit of a twang in their accent, but they are pretty cool to have around.

“Rugby is about your mates, the people, the connections you make. In this tournament especially it is awesome. We played Wales and went into their changing room afterwards to have water – no beers in the changing room because we're on a short turnaround.

"Just having a yarn with some of those boys is pretty awesome to hear about their experiences growing up as well, just brief conversations like that. That small interaction is pretty cool and something that we have missed the last few years.”

Will Stodart in action versus Wales (Photo by World Rugby via Getty Images)

The camaraderie within the New Zealand ranks is reportedly lively. “We have over a month in South Africa and it is so easy to get rugbyed-out so to speak, so we have got Noah (Hotham) the captain, he is great at easing situations and picking the right times to do that.

“Jack Taylor is great to get a few boys laughing. Codemeru Vai is great on the guitar and great at singing, which is something I am far from great at, so it is awesome having boys like that so we can connect and sing different songs about different ethnicities. We have got Tongan and Samoan boys and it is awesome to have those cultures off the field and relax and have a laugh, have a chat, sing songs.”

Stodart made for easy company when RugbyPass dropped by the New Zealand team hotel, the youngster chatting away casually near the outdoor pool with dusk falling and the din of the rush hour car horns intermittently blaring.

"He was chuffed that the Junior World Championship concept was back in action, delighted that up-and-coming players from New Zealand had the chance to test themselves on a global stage after a few years when the world had locked down and shut up shop.

“You look at the tournaments the northern hemisphere has been having, we have just missed something like that in the international scene for young and upcoming players in New Zealand. It’s been gutting not to have that the last couple of years but it’s pretty awesome to see the best players in this age group from around the entire world is pretty epic.

“It’s awesome to have that standard compete against other countries and see where you sit individually and as a collective as a country, it’s pretty awesome to see. It’s a good indicator of what you must develop in years to come.”

What was Stodart’s pandemic experience like? “Looking back on it all it went by in a bit of a blur. I just started a new school at that time (in Christchurch), and I came back home. I am pretty fortunate where I live, Myross Bush about 10 minutes outside of Invercargill. You think you are in the country but only 10 minutes out. That’s home and we have got quite a lot of open space.

“I spent most of my time outside the best I could within the restrictions. I got out and ran quite a lot and was just fortunate to have quite a lot of space. I tried to tick along with school. We have a dodgy sort of internet where we live but I enjoyed it I suppose to some extent.”

It was Stodart’s father, a former Southland player, who first introduced Will to the game. “In rippa at U4s, U5s, I was barefoot, frosty mornings, toes turning purple, but I guess as a young kid you didn’t really care about that. It was just the best thing, you look forward to it all week, getting an orange at half-time and getting a pie and a fizz afterwards with mates and just having a great time on a Saturday.

“My dad was around for a lot of my early rugby, he coached a few teams growing up. I was sitting down picking daisies when I was very young, but I went to Star Rugby Club and played U11s where we won the A-grade for the first time. Dad was influential in my upbringing in rugby, so he was around for a lot of it which is pretty cool.

“Spent a lot of time with him just running up and down the local rugby field passing a ball around so he was massive in giving me a love for the sport. My early memories were just kicking a ball around at school with mates as a lot of Kiwi kids do at lunchtime, getting your knees dirty, but I look back on it with the fondest memories, my upbringing with rugby.”

It wasn’t until his late teens that Stodart began to believe he could go places in rugby. “Probably the first thoughts I had about it were year 12, 13, so when I was about 17, 18. I thought I was quite good at this, started to get selected in a few of the academy programmes in Christchurch and said I’d give it a decent crack.

“I’m always pretty realistic, I always made sure I focused on my studies as well at school. But in year 12, I thought I’d keep my head down and work hard and I have just kept riding that wave, not getting too far ahead of myself at all along the process. I have enjoyed it every step of the way and have never lost the love and haven’t put the profession ahead of having fun playing rugby.”

Of great help has been seeing the progress of his older brother Mac in another sport. “I really liked playing a lot of sports growing up but my main two were rugby and basketball. It’s a shame they are both winter sports where I am from; it would have been interesting if they were different.

“I have got an older brother who is in the States, in Denver, playing basketball at college. It opened my eyes a bit about it doesn’t matter where you are from, a small town. He is on a scholarship with the University of Colorado Springs.

"It was pretty cool to see that early doors, I guess you don’t really think it is possible; well I didn’t anyway until I saw someone pretty close to me crack it, so it was pretty awesome as a family and as a brother to see that.

“Family is massive. I could go on for ages. Mum always kept me grounded and kept my head in the spokes in terms of my academics. She always gave me a hand and reinforced that, made sure that I was ticking those boxes away from rugby first because as you know you are only one injury away from not being able to play the rest of your life so she was awesome around that space, keeping me grounded and I took a lot of pride in my school and still do.

“I study off the field to this day, And then dad, he was massive getting me into rugby early doors when I was running around in bare feet. His side of the family has always been massive on rugby. Dad played for the Stags, the local provincial team. Ge played a few games for them and my grandad also played for Southland.

"I guess it is in the blood, you’d say. Family has been massive. I wouldn’t be where I am now without mum and dad and my brother as well along the way. They have been massively influential.”

Stodart is now at a stage along the rugby pathway where big decisions will soon be made. “I’m currently on a development contract, a PDC with Otago. I have got an assembly with Otago for provincial, hoping to get a crack and play a game in the competition this year.

"I was lucky enough to play in the pre-season game, Southland-Otago down at home actually, and then with the Highlanders on a development contract so to speak, an NDC contract this year.

“A few of us U20s boys were in the environment the whole year so that was pretty epic and I’m just in the process of sorting out what the next couple of years looks like with the Highlanders and Otago.”

Stodart will challenge will some decent statistics in his corner. “As a young boy, I was always pretty big and have always found it easy to put on size. I’m about 115kgs at the moment, so I am probably about where I want to be. I haven’t added too much weight since leaving school. I have always been a big lad for my age.

“I guess I grew consistently. I had a growth spurt in year nine or 10, when I was about 15 or 16, but nothing too drastic, I’m 6ft 4, 6ft 5 at the moment. I thought the last two years I had topped out, but I might have grown a wee bit more.

"I haven’t been keeping too much of an eye on it, but my brother is 6ft 8. Everyone asks where we get our height because both mum and dad are about 5ft 9, about the same, about average at best. I’m happy with what I am but if I grow more, that happens.

“I have mainly played loose for most of my life, but I am more than happy to play a few positions. Lock adds another string to your bow at this level because not a whole lot of boys can play three positions, and I pride myself on that."