If this were last year, Tane Edmed would likely be preparing North Harbour for a shot at the Ranfurly Shield. Now, the Wallabies playmaker is after a bigger title.
Edmed returns to New Zealand almost 12 months on from his stint with the NPC side as the potential Wallabies starter, eager to end a 23-year Bledisloe Cup drought when the series begins at Eden Park on Saturday against the All Blacks.
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The 25-year-old’s ascension into the Test set-up was fuelled by his excellent form for North Harbour, eventually making his debut against Ireland last November.
It’s been just another stop on the rollercoaster for Edmed, that’s included a new Super Rugby club and a Test recall against South Africa that saw him thrust into the centres amid an injury crisis.
“It's definitely been a bit of a rollercoaster year since then,” Edmed said to reporters in Auckland.
“I came over here to just get better as a rugby player and I felt like it definitely served its purpose.
“I came away with some really good education, some good coaches, some good players, a new way of playing rugby and that's what I was looking to get out of it, and then the bonus was I got picked up for the Spring Tour, which was obviously unbelievable. It wasn't the main goal, but it was definitely really cool.
“Since then, it's been a bit up and down, but I've just tried to keep my process really consistent.”
Edmed keeps in touch with his former North Harbour teammates, who will battle for the famous shield against Otago earlier in the day.
“[Missing] the boys. I haven't caught up with them yet, but I'll try and catch up with them throughout the week,” the playmaker said and smiled.
“I know they're having a little bit of a tough season, so it'd be good to catch up with a few of those boys and say g'day again.
It leaves Edmed unfazed about having to play at Eden Park should the outgoing Waratah retain his spot in the starting side.
Edmed played at the ground in a 36-32 defeat to Auckland and contributed 12 points, helping him finish the season as the NPC’s highest point scorer.
“I've played at Eden Park a fair few times at Tahs as well… they've obviously got a great record at Eden Park, but at the same time it is just another footy field, so we're going to prepare accordingly,” he believes.
“The All Blacks are a great side, there's no denying that, so we're going to focus on what we can do and what we can control and we're going to work really hard this week to give ourselves the best chance on the weekend.”
