The most fantastical adventure of John Hardie’s young life began with a long distance call earlier this summer. “Get yourself over and we’ll see what you’ve got,” the Scotland coach, Vern Cotter, told him. “There are no guarantees. Remember your passport and kit.” Hardie did what he was told.
He said his goodbyes to friends and family in New Zealand, then worked his socks off for a shot at World Cup glory. Three months later he finds himself about to face Samoa in the “biggest game of my career”.
It has been a rapid and thrilling journey. Over 8,000 miles separate Scotland from Dipton, the tiny farming village on the road from Queenstown to Invercargill, where Hardie grew up. There’s not much there besides a garage, post office, and a place that sells fish and chips at the weekends.
“There used to be a craft shop and a Four Square supermarket, but they closed down,” says Hardie ruefully. But in terms of values, he is a natural fit for this understated – and probably underestimated – Scotland team. No wonder he has settled in so quickly.
On the field Hardie is explosive, dynamic and fearless. But he admits to feeling some trepidation when he decided to end his Super Rugby contract with the Otago Highlanders and a comfortable life in New Zealand for a World Cup chance. He still hasn’t got a club to go to when the tournament is over.
“It was a scary decision at first,” he admits. “But I have always wanted to come over and the opportunity arrived at the right time. It was pretty daunting meeting new people, learning new plays, and trying to make the squad. I was way outside my comfort zone. But I could tell straight away that the squad was strong and the boys got on really well. I have absolutely loved it. It’s been awesome.”
The 27-year-old had his first training session with Scotland in July, won his first international cap against Italy in August, and played in his first World Cup match against Japan in September. Yet after just three caps he is already regarded as a vital cog in Cotter’s plans. His performance on the openside in Scotland’s 45-10 victory over Japan – during which he made a game-leading 21 tackles and scored a crucial try when the score was close at 12-10 – was a vigorous illustration of his talents.
Not everyone was impressed with the speed of Hardie’s journey from Highlander to Scotland regular, with the former prop Peter Wright accusing the Scottish Rugby Union of “demeaning the jersey” by picking him so quickly. But voices have quickly dimmed. And Hardie is proud to represent the country of his grandmother Christina Lumsden, who was born in Culross in Fife but left on the boat to New Zealand as a teenager.
“She left Scotland in 1925 and settled in Edendale in the Southland region,” he explains. “Big Jim Mason [the team’s broadcast manager] has shown me the document she signed off the ship. Sadly she passed away a few years ago when she was 97, but she had a good innings.”
His parents, Russell and Helen, will however be there at St James’ Park on Saturday, having travelled to the UK for the first time for the World Cup. It’s lambing season back home, and his father – a farmer – was slightly anxious to be missing it. And coming from a community of 150 people they are still getting used to the crowds they have encountered in London, Leeds, Edinburgh and Newcastle.
“They are slowly getting used to it,” says Hardie, smiling. It helps that his girlfriend, the New Zealand netball player Hayley Crofts, has been acting as an unofficial tour guide. All are hoping to extend their trip for as long as possible. And with a quarter-final place against either Australia or Wales on the line against Samoa, Hardie is hoping to oblige. But he recognises that it won’t be easy. “The Samoans are big boys,” he warns. “They can hit. They can run over you. And they will be hurting from their last couple of results. We’ll have to work hard to cool their fire down.”
But Hardie intends to fight fire with fire after fully recovering from the concussion that forced him to miss Scotland’s matches against United States and South Africa. “I didn’t have any symptoms or anything like after the Japan game so it was really weird when I failed one part of the computer test,” he said. “But I respect our doctor’s decisions because he’s really good. I got itchy watching from the stands but you can’t mess about with head injuries.”
When Hardie was younger he looked up to Christian Cullen, the rampaging All Black full-back, as well as Josh Kronfeld, but more recently it is Richie McCaw, a player he could yet face if Scotland were to somehow make the semi-finals. “It would be the perfect scenario, a dream come true, but let’s see what happens first,” he says.
Away from rugby, Hardie owns harness racehorses in New Zealand and also loves playing golf. Indeed he had a single-figure handicap by the time he reached his teens, having tried to play most days when he was in primary school. After the World Cup he hopes to play some of Scotland’s famous golf courses and then to sign for a northern hemisphere club side. He also intends to visit his grandmother’s old home in Fife to pay his respects. For now though he is focused solely on facing Samoa. “I don’t want to let my team-mates down,” he says. “I am going to put my body on the line for them.”
