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Blues playmaker Jock McKenzie breaks 68-year Auckland sporting record
By Finn Morton
It’s hard enough to reach the heights of professional status as an athlete in any code, let alone two. But at 22 years of age, former Blues playmaker Jock McKenzie has broken a long-lasting Auckland sporting record.
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McKenzie played three Super Rugby Pacific matches for the Blues in the 2022 season, including one start at flyhalf away to the NSW Waratahs in Sydney.
But McKenzie’s sporting expertise goes well beyond the field. For the first time since 1956, the youngster has become the first person to play both rugby and cricket for Auckland.
While McKenzie laughed off the suggestion that he could follow in Jeff Wilson’s footsteps by playing for both the All Blacks and Black Caps, there’s no denying he’s talented.
Auckland NPC assistant coach Jono Hickey, who played professional cricket and rugby, described the Blues playmaker as a “talented young man.”
“He’s a pretty natural athlete, pretty gifted,” Hickey told 1News.
“He’s got a really nice skillset in rugby, very natural kicker of the ball, good passing, and he’s got a really good read on the game as well.
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“You can tell he’s just one of those youngsters that’s sort of good at everything and very natural.”
Playing at the familiar venue Eden Park, McKenzie took three wickets on debut for the Auckland Aces in their win over the Otago Volts in New Zealand’s T20 Super Smash.
McKenzie took a dot with his first ball before taking the wicket of Ollie White with the following delivery.
“It was special,” McKenzie said, as reported by Newshub. “It’s New Zealand’s ground, you could say.
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“Not many people get to do it, so I was just trying to enjoy it and lap it up.
“ lost a bit of weight,” he added. “I’m probably way too skinny to be playing footy right now.
“You just play way more and I probably lost a bit of it.”
But a decision looms over whether McKenzie has a future in rugby or cricket – should he want to pursue international honours in either code by representing New Zealand.
“I’ll decide very soon.
“I’ve probably left it as late as I can.
“You’ll probably know sooner rather than later what one to do, but for the summer, I’m just playing cricket and focusing on that.”
