The Waikato Chiefs have tied down 21-year-old Damian McKenzie for another two years in a major coup for the twice Super Rugby champions.
Fullback McKenzie is an exciting prospect and has been key in the Chiefs’ table-topping resurgence this season, leading the competition in tries and points scored, while being widely touted for an All Blacks call-up for their June internationals against Wales.
Born in Invercargill, New Zealand, McKenzie hails from Otago Highlanders territory, but was swooped up by the North Island’s Chiefs after impressing at the World Rugby U20 Championship in 2014.
Photo: AFP
His new deal is to keep him at the Hamilton-based side until the end of the 2017-2018 season.
‘ABSOLUTELY RAPT’
“We are absolutely rapt that Damian’s committed here long-term,” Chiefs coach Dave Rennie said in a statement yesterday.
“He is an impressive young man — competitive and resilient, with a skill set to rival anyone in the competition. He plays with a free spirit, is courageous and is a pleasure to coach,” Rennie added.
At 1.75m tall, McKenzie is pint-sized in the modern game, but has impressed with his defensive prowess and raised eyebrows with a try-saving tackle on the Crusaders’ Nemani Nadolo in February that sent the bulky Fiji-born winger flying over the touchline.
TOOTHY GRIN
He has also become renowned for breaking into a toothy grin every time he lines up for a kick off the tee, in contrast to the usual fraught expressions on rival kickers’ faces.
The smile, described as “scary” by at least one Australian rugby pundit, has been flashed countless times in racking up 120 points after 10 rounds of the season.
“I do not want to change my routine, but I am getting a bit of stick for it at the moment,” McKenzie said last month. “A few people are telling me that I look like a bit of a creep.”
The Chiefs (8-1) play the defending champions the Highlanders (6-3) in a blockbuster clash in Hamilton, New Zealand, on Saturday.
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