Clogher’s new Kiwi Luke enjoying life at The Cran

Clogher Valley’s Kiwi import Luke Russell may have only arrived in Fivemiletown in August, but he has already made a big impact on his new team, while the club and local community as a whole have had a similar effect upon him.

The 24-year-old arrived in Tyrone ahead of Clogher’s first ever season in All-Ireland League 2B, bringing with him no shortage of experience and pedigree, having been captain of the Napier Pirates in his native Hawkes Bay.

As a New Zealander, it would be easy to assume that he was born with a rugby ball in hand, but Russell, who has evolved as a player over the years, moving from front row, to back row and now to centre, admits it took him some time to appreciate the sport.

“I actually played soccer for six years before I started playing rugby,” he explained. “It would normally be the other way around but I went to one rugby training when I was five or six years old and I wouldn’t let go of my dad’s hand because I was too scared. Once I realised it wasn’t too much of a scary game that was it!

“And this is only my second year playing in the centre. I started in the front row and slowly worked my way out. I played two or three years in the front row when I was younger when positions didn’t really matter as much but I played back row the whole way through my career at high school and stuff.

“I was always told I was too small to play number eight. [Coaches] always wanted me to put on weight [and move forward] but I thought I’d go the other way!

“The skills between 12 and 8 aren’t too disimilar, so I thought it will keep the game interesting an keep me learning new skills – that was the thinking behind it.”

Despite being a relatively late starter in the sport, Russell has played Premiership and representative rugby in New Zealand, so he was seen by Clogher Valley as an ideal candidate to fill the void at centre left by Reece Smyton, who moved to Australia, and with the Kiwi also being a qualified PE teacher, he was also the perfect individual to take on the new role of Club Community Rugby Officer (CCRO) at The Cran.

The move certainly ticked a lot of boxes for both parties involved and since arriving in Fivemiletown, Russell admits he has been blown away by the warm welcome he received and that he has made life-long friendships in the process.

“First driving up, I was thinking ‘what have I got myself into?’ but then I met the people and the team and the whole community and everyone. They are very welcoming people,” he said. “They go out of their way to make sure you’re comfortable and give a helping hand, which I enjoyed straight away.

“It was massive [to have that support] because to move to the other side of the world and immediately have thirty good mates in the rugby team, was very welcoming.

“I’ve been really glad with the decision I’ve made. I’ve really enjoyed the experience as a whole. It’s something new, which is the main thing for me – having a break from the teaching and having a bit of life experience.

“I’ve definitely grown fond of this place and I could definitely see myself coming back in the future. Through the club I’ve definitely made life-long friends, who I’ll either have come over to New Zealand or I’ll come back over the visit. They are definitely connections I want to hold.”

His decision to move across the world to play rugby came after a friend enjoyed a similar experience in Spain, but Russell felt the similarities between Ireland and New Zealand would make moving to Clogher Valley a better fit for him.

“I got the idea [to play abroad] because one of my best mates through high school actually went and played two seasons over in Spain,” he said. “And I know quite a few other Kiwi’s [have done the same] – it’s not too uncommon with rugby being such an international sport.

“The thing that was appealing about coming to Ireland was you speak the same language as me – it can be hard to understand at times! – but being from the other side of the world there are a lot of similarities between Ireland and New Zealand.

“I got in contact with the Valley through a Facebook group and I wanted an experience somewhere and I thought why not take the opportunity.

“I watched a few videos from games last year and I thought they played a real nice style of footy that I’d like to be a part of.”

As well as having thoroughly enjoyed the overall experience of living and playing rugby in Ireland, Russell, who splits his time between working as a plasterer with his CCRO and playing duties, admits that he has been impressed by nearly everything he has seen at Clogher Valley and The Cran.

“I played in the Premier comp of Hawkes Bay, I was captain of the team there and I played representative stuff as well. I’d say the level of Clogher Valley and my team back home would be very similar,” he acknowledged.

“The set-up down here is awesome. The Hub is awesome but the pitch can be a bit heavy under foot, but I guess that’s just being in Tyrone!”

Having been forced to sit out a few games after suffering a meniscus injury, a period he found frustrating, Russell is now looking forward to finishing the season on the front foot by helping his new team achieve a third successive promotion, via the play-offs, before going home to hopefully aid Napier Pirates in achieving success too before he makes any concrete plans about his future.

“At this stage, because my season back home is the opposite and only starts in late March, I’ll miss about half the season back home.

“I’ll go back and hopefully make some finals with my team back home but after that I don’t have any immediate ideas for the future at this stage,” he explained.

“And it’s a massive opportunity [to achieve promotion with Clogher Valley].

“I’d say it would be tough to knock Wanderers out of that number one spot for automatic promotion, but once you’re in that 2-4 range, final footy, anything can happen so if we can hold in that top four we have a good shot at it.

“I’ve found the training good and my team-mates are a great bunch of lads. Throughout the season we’ve really grown, especially coming into the second half of the season.

“Since the Christmas break, we had a mid-season review and set some goals moving forward and that’s all aligning well.

“It’s about keeping the work going and maintaining our place in the table and hopefully come the end of the season we’ll make those play-off spots.”

Alongside aiming to help Clogher achieve success on the pitch, Russell is keen to grow the sport of rugby off it and he’s thoroughly enjoying his position as CCRO.

“I go around the local high schools and primary schools for Ulster Rugby and the club to take sessions.

“A lot of it is an intro to rugby, going into schools where rugby might not be a main sport, to give [the kids] a taste of the sport,” he added.

“A lot of clubs have CCRO’s and they thought with my teaching background and knowledge of rugby, it would be a cool job for me to take on and the Kiwi accent would help!

“Everyone has been receptive, every school I’ve been to has been all for it, they love giving it a go. If we want to convert them to becoming rugby players we have to have some fun and that’s what it’s all about, enjoying it.

“Irish rugby – both the men’s and women’s game – is looking strong and what I’ve been really impressed with over here is the women’s rugby.

“The Clogher women are pretty new to rugby, but they have had a few promotions and it’s awesome to see the whole club doing well.”