Chresten Davis

In his final year at Morrinsville College in Waikato Chresten Davis looked destined to become one of the greatest of All Black forwards.

Blessed with considerable height at 2.02m and a natural athlete, he made the New Zealand secondary schools side in 1993 and in his first year out of school at Massey University in Palmerston North seemed to confirm all of that promise.

Playing then as a blindside flanker, he played 13 matches for Manawatu, two for the New Zealand Colts and two for New Zealand Universities. Not even the indignity of being ordered off in Manawatu’s Ranfurly Shield challenge against Waikato lessened the impression he had made and he was named along with Jonah Lomu as one of the Rugby Almanack’s five most promising players of the 1994 season.

His progress continued in 1995 with a tour of the Pacific Islands and Canada with the New Zealand Divisional team, eight more matches for Manawatu and another two for the New Zealand Colts and a clear indication he was being placed at age 19 on an All Black short list by inclusion in both a strong New Zealand XV and also a North Island XV which each played Canada.

He made the Hurricanes for the inaugural Super 12 season in 1996 and after playing again for the New Zealand Colts was duly promoted to the All Blacks, being taken for development purposes on the tour of South Africa. He played only twice, having 13 minutes from the bench in the tour opener against the Boland Invitation XV and playing the full match against Eastern Province. But further evidence that he was viewed as a player for the future came with his inclusion in the Barbarians squad for its short end of the year tour of England.

His career, however, hit a major setback in the 1997 Super 12 when late in the competition he suffered a serious knee injury when tackled, oddly enough by former Massey University RFC player Lee Stensness, playing against the Blues. That prevented him playing at provincial level for the Central Vikings later in the season.

He recovered in 1998 to have a limited involvement with the Hurricanes in the Super 12 but played at lock for the Vikings when the combined side from Manawatu and Hawke’s Bay won the NPC second division title but were then denied promotion. He was also in the NZ Universities side as captain in matches against Japan and Australian Universities and led the NZ Academy XV to wins over England and Tonga.

But Davis perhaps because of his injury has never quite fulfilled his teenage promise.

In 1999 he returned to his home province and played mainly at lock for Waikato in Ranfurly Shield defences through the 1999-2000 seasons but suffered again through injuries for most of the 2002 season. He has also been part of the Chiefs in the Super 12 without ever quite being dominant enough to maintain a regular position. Consequently he seems to have slipped from national contention though in 2003 he was still young enough to have a few more useful seasons left.