LAST WEEKEND, LEINSTER supporters got a glimpse of what Charlie Ngatai could bring to the squad this season.
The summer signing delivered his strongest performance in blue yet as the province came out the right side of a 13-try thriller against the Sharks, linking up well with his midfield partner Robbie Henshaw and Leinster outhalf Johnny Sexton on his fourth appearance for his new team.
Having spent the last four seasons with Lyon in the Top 14, following spells with Super Rugby sides the Hurricanes and Chiefs, the 32-year-old admits he’s still getting to grips with a new style of rugby.
“I’m still learning, I suppose. It’s a very different style to French rugby,” Ngatai says.
“Probably similar to New Zealand, the fast-paced, open rugby, skillful. I suppose it’s getting the feeling back, a lot more running, a lot faster, skillful.
“So, just bringing those old habits back and get the feeling back. For me, I’m probably still learning. Obviously a new team, new systems, new way of playing.”
Life off the pitch is beginning to settle, too. Ngatai and his wife, Gaynor, made the move from France with four young children, Kerehi (9), Makaea (7), Tiare (4) and Hana (17 months).
It is a busy household but in terms of where I am at this stage, 32 now, four kids, it’s always in the back of my mind you’re missing on your kids growing up. But I sort of look at is as well as the experience I’ve given them, obviously moving from New Zealand when they were at a young age to France, four years in France. My two oldest can speak French.
“Learning that culture, a new way of living and now uplifting them and coming to Dublin to learn another new culture, another new language and a bit of Gaelic in school. So for me, to be able to give them that experience that other kids, especially in New Zealand, don’t get the chance to have, for me that’s probably a big win I suppose.
“Coming to the end of my career, that’s why I thought ‘nah, it’s a good chance to come over here and experience and have another crack’.”
Ngatai found some familiar faces when he arrived in Dublin, having previously played alongside James Lowe and Jamison Gibson-Park in New Zealand. Ngatai also played with Connacht’s Bundee Aki during his time with the Chiefs, which is also when Leinster head coach Leo Cullen first came across him during a trip to visit the club in 2014.
Last week Cullen spoke of how Ngatai has long been on his radar, and also revealed Ngatai has been an interesting source of information around concussion, due to his experience with head injuries.
Ngatai was stood down for 11 months following a concussion suffered during a Super Rugby clash in May 2016, with symptoms such as headaches and dizziness plaguing the New Zealander for almost a year.
I suppose it’s the most talked about injury at the moment with a lot of concussions happening. For me it’s a hard one. My last head knock was two years ago in France and I suppose it always sits in the back of your mind when you do have another knock: ‘Is this your last game or what is going to happen?’
“But I suppose each head knock is different. It’s how you recover from there. But I’ve been pretty lucky that my head knocks have been two or three years apart, not back-to-back head knocks. I’ve been able to recover from them but it’s all individual in how you feel and I suppose you’ve got to be honest with yourself, whether or not you are right, or you don’t feel well. You’ve only got one brain and it’s how you look after it, because you don’t know what’s going to happen later in life.
“When I grew up and concussion was a thing, you sort of know about concussion but you don’t really know the fix of it. So you’d play rugby if you had a knock, two weeks later ‘I feel fine’ and jump back out on the field, to now where people are more aware of it. Your teammates are aware, the coaches are aware, there’s no pressure to come back on the field if you don’t feel fine.
“So, I suppose it’s better for the game that people are aware of concussion because like I said you only get one brain, and you have to look beyond the future as well. You don’t want to end up struggling for the rest of your life.”
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