‘Rather 100 tackles than 10 tries’: Rob Rush credits famous father for big work ethic

At the age of five, Rob Rush wasn’t made to play rugby by his father.

He was, however, given an ultimatum: that if he didn’t play rugby, he wouldn’t instead be doing what he wanted to be doing – sitting around home watching TV.

So he played rugby.

Now, 16 years later, the Northland loose forward is credited as having quite the strong work ethic, and he knows full well where that has come from – that man he calls dad is former All Black and New Zealand sevens legend Eric Rush.

Known as one of the hardest-working players under the ruthless regime of Sir Gordon Tietjens, Rush made sure to such values, be it in sport or otherwise, rubbed off on his children.

“It definitely has, if I’m being honest,” Rob says. “I owe all my work ethic to him.

Stuff

Eric Rush made sure to ensure a strong work ethic in his children.

“But not just him, my mum [Raina] as well. Those two are like two peas in a pod. At the age they are at now, they’ll finish work, get home, and won’t sit down until 8o’clock at night. They’ve always got to be doing something, ticking boxes, or cleaning the house, there’s always something to do for them.

“And the same thing, growing up, my dad would not let us sit down and watch TV until things got done or we went for a run or something.”

Rob, 21, is the baby of five – there are twin brothers Martin and Blair, and sister Natalie, while his other brother, Brady, is with him in the Taniwha squad and is also an All Blacks Sevens rep.

Named after Eric’s brother Robert Rush – a former Northland rep himself and now a referee education officer with the province – he is in his third season in the Cambridge Blue, having grown up in Auckland playing at the East Tamaki club in the second row alongside now All Black Tupou Vaa’i.

With Eric’s work as a supermarket owner-operator taking the family to the North Shore then Kerikeri, Rob played for East Coast Bays, then Kaio. But with his father knowing his son needed better competition in order to progress, Rush then boarded at Saint Kentigern College in Auckland for his final two school years (2017-18), playing alongside his cousin, and now Canterbury, Crusaders, and Māori All Blacks prop, Tamaiti Williams.

It was there that St Kents coach Tasesa Lavea suggested Rush – now 1.93m and 110kg – move from the second row to No 6. And he hasn’t looked back since.

Fiona Goodall/Getty Images

Rob Rush and Northland are enjoying a fine start to the NPC season.

Though perhaps he could further emulate his famous father by going from the loose forwards to the wing?

“I’d like to think that, but the backs in my team don’t really think that,” quips Rob.

He’s only seen the odd clip of his dad’s career, though has recently viewed him in action up close, this season a sprightly 57-year-old Eric playing the odd half game in the forwards for the Mid Northern club’s reserves team, in between running New World Regent in Whangārei, where Rob is sometimes called upon to stack the shelves or do night deliveries.

A regular Northland rep through the age groups, Rob knows his real role on the field, though.

“Even my old man said it, he’s like, ‘Boy, you’ve got no x-factor, but you love to work hard, so just do the things that no-one likes doing, find yourself in dark places’, which is actually what I do like to do. I’d rather make 100 tackles than score 10 tries, I’ll just put it that way.”

Not that the youngster was complaining about a maiden five-pointer in his 11th outing, when going over on the back of a stunning 22-metre rolling maul in the win over Wellington in Porirua last Saturday.

“Yeah it wasn’t too bad,” he notes. “One of the boys was yelling at me, though – Jonah Mau’u, our seven – he was trying to get the ball off me, but I’d seen that we were only five metres away, I was like, ‘Nah, mate… I’ll be selfish here’.”

KAI SCHWOERER/STUFF

In 1982, Canterbury Rugby started their golden Ranfurly Shield era. Forty years on, the Rugby heroes got together again. Former coach Alex Wyllie and Warwick Taylor explain what made the team so special.

As much of a grafter as he likes to be, Rush isn’t tough to miss this year with that bleached-blonde lid, though. It was actually originally dyed pink as part of a fundraiser for a clubmate diagnosed with testicular cancer, before it reverted to the lighter shade.

“Everyone kept saying, ‘You actually suit the blonde’,” he says.

“I might keep it for the season. Dad dislikes it a lot. He’s old school, that fella.”

It’s a season so far full of promise for Northland, who are back at home to Southland on Sunday.

So often strugglers – they spent the past 11 years of the split format in the championship division – they have this year beaten both Taranaki and Wellington on the road, either side of a narrow home loss to defending premiers Waikato.

Rush admits a big review came after last season, and when the Super Rugby players went to their franchises, third-year coach George Konia had the rest of the players working big-time.

“All the club boys and the workers, we actually got flogged all the way up until the season,” he says. “Everyone’s PBs just went through the roof. Forwards were way fitter, way stronger, backs were just more agile. And I think that contributes to how we can play now.”

And under new defence coach Marty Veale – the former Northland rep who is fresh off leading Rugby New York to a maiden Major League Rugby title – the Taniwha have a new system that Rush says everyone trusts and gives them confidence to get off the line, and is reaping rewards with a competition-low two tries only conceded thus far.

Phil Walter/Getty Images

Rob Rush feels the exhaustion during a Blues pre-season mud run in 2021.

Having been invited to train with the Blues in previous pre-seasons, Rush’s obvious next goal is Super footy, though he is far from obsessing over it.

“If a gig comes, obviously I’d take it with both hands, but if it doesn’t, then I’m not too worried, because I know there’s more to life than rugby,” says Rush, who is a full-time electrician apprentice outside the NPC season and is thankful his boss is a rugby fan.

“When I come in and train for Northland, I know there’s a lot worse things I could be doing.”