Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Getting to know: New Zealand U20s lock Liam Jack

New Zealand players, including Liam Jack (third from left) sing their national anthem in South Africa (Photo by Thinus Maritz/World Rugby)

When it comes to good genes in the New Zealand team at the World Rugby U20 Championship in South Africa, look no further than second row Liam Jack. Graham Jack, the lanky lock’s father, was a 1998 Super Rugby champion playing in the Crusaders engine room.

ADVERTISEMENT

Meanwhile, uncle Chris Jack was a 67-cap All Black in the same position, as well as a multi-title winner for the Christchurch-based franchise before finishing up his career with two seasons at Saracens following his country’s 2007 Rugby World Cup quarter-final elimination.

The Baby Blacks’ class of 2024 arrived in Cape Town having recently won the inaugural age-grade Rugby Championship that was held on the Australian Gold Coast with a view to having their teams battle-hardened to better challenge their Six Nations rivals.

Video Spacer

HITS, BUMPS AND HANDOFFS! | The biggest collisions from the U20s World Championships

Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time 0:00
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions off, selected
      Video Spacer

      HITS, BUMPS AND HANDOFFS! | The biggest collisions from the U20s World Championships

      Just one southern hemisphere team – South Africa – reached the semi-finals last year along with France, Ireland and England, and that three-one split has been repeated this year, the only change being New Zealand replacing the Junior Boks in the last four.

      New Zealand, who face France in Sunday’s semi-finals, dramatically defeated the French 27-26 in a July 4 pool match in Stellenbosch and ahead of their rematch at the Stormers’ iconic stadium in Cape Town, Jack has tacked the RugbyPass Getting to Know Q&A.

      Fixture
      World Rugby U20 Championship
      New Zealand U20
      31 - 55
      Full-time
      France U20
      All Stats and Data

      Amongst his replies were Sam Whitelock, Zach Bryan and Eben Etzebeth. Read on to learn why:

      THE BASICS
      Born: August 22, 2004;
      Joined New Zealand age-grade: Schools when I was 18, against Fiji in ’22;
      Club: Canterbury, Crusaders academy;
      Height: 6ft 6;
      Weight: 110kgs;
      Position: Lock;
      Boots: Adidas RS15;
      Gumshield: Just the white normal ones, the branded one that everyone has to wear;
      Headgear: No;
      School: Christ College.

      ADVERTISEMENT

      RATE YOURSELF (out of 100)
      Pace: 75;
      Passing: 75;
      Tackling: 90.

      THE PAST
      My favourite New Zealand player of all time is… Sam Whitelock;

      Favourite try I have ever scored is… Rolling maul for Lincoln Rams;

      A rugby memory that makes me smile is… Winning the Super Rugby U20s with the Crusaders this year;

      The moment I realised I could make it is… Probably last year at school for Christ College. Good team, played a couple of good games, ended up making the New Zealand schools;

      ADVERTISEMENT

      One piece of advice I would give to my younger self is… I would say don’t judge yourself, just do whatever you have to do;

      My best subject in school was… Probably maths;

      First player that made me fall in love with rugby was… Probably Sam Whitelock;

      Growing up, my position was… Lock but tried a bit at No8. No8 came first, then got a bit taller;

      The coach who has most impacted my game is… Probably my dad. He coached me as a kid, Graham Jack, when I first started U13s.

      THE PRESENT
      My best attributes on the field are… I work hard, win the set-piece, clean rucks;

      One thing I’m doing to improve my education is… I’m doing a bachelor of architecture at Canterbury Ara;

      My favourite current New Zealand player is… Probably Scott Barrett;

      My hardest working teammate is… Probably Johnny Lee;

      My most skilful teammate is… Probably Xavi Taele;

      My favourite training drill is… Probably just lineouts;

      My favourite music artist is… Probably Zach Bryan.

      THE FUTURE
      A player who could go all the way is… Probably Xavi Taele;

      If I could play with anyone, I would like to play with… Probably Scott Barrett;

      I will be happy with my career if I… Try my best the whole way through and gave everything I had;

      One thing I want to add to my game is… Probably more size and power;

      If I could play in any other country, I would play in… Probably France or Japan;

      One person I want to meet is… Richie McCaw. Oh, I have met him actually. Eben Etzebeth would be interesting;

      One trophy I would love to win is… The U20s World Cup.

      • Click here to sign up to RugbyPass TV for free live coverage of matches from the 2024 World Rugby U20 Championship in countries that don’t have an exclusive local host broadcaster deal

      Related

      ADVERTISEMENT

      LIVE

      Tokyo Bravelupus vs Kobe Steelers

      Boks Office | Episode 41 | Investec Champions Cup final preview

      Hong Kong China vs Kazakhstan | Asia Rugby Emirates Women's Championship | Match Highlights

      Kubota Spears vs Tokyo Sungoliath | Japan Rugby League One 2024/25 | Quarter Final Replay

      Australia vs USA | Pacific Four Series 2025 | Full Match Replay

      New Zealand vs Canada | Pacific Four Series 2025 | Full Match Replay

      South Africa vs New Zealand | The Rugby Championship U20's | Full Match Replay

      Argentina vs Australia | The Rugby Championship U20's | Full Match Replay

      The Game that Made Jonah Lomu

      The gruelling reality behind one of the fastest sports in the world | The Report

      Trending on RugbyPass

      Comments

      0 Comments
      Be the first to comment...

      Join free and tell us what you really think!

      Sign up for free
      ADVERTISEMENT

      Latest Features

      Comments on RugbyPass

      S
      Solenn Bonnet 11 days ago
      Leinster cleanse palette with record URC scoreline against Zebre

      My name is Solenn Bonnet, and I am a single mother navigating the challenges of raising my two-year-old child while trying to make ends meet. I came across a trading platform that promised astonishing daily profits of 18%. The allure of such a high return on investment was too tempting to resist, and I found myself drawn into cryptocurrency trading. Excited by the prospect of financial freedom, I invested a significant amount of my savings, totaling over 5.7 BTC. However, what started as a hopeful venture quickly turned into a nightmare. The platform was a scam, and I lost everything I had invested. The emotional toll of this loss was immense; I felt devastated and helpless, struggling to provide for my child and keep up with my bills. In my desperate attempt to recover my funds, I sought help from various recovery experts. Unfortunately, I encountered numerous fraudulent individuals who claimed they could help me retrieve my lost money. Each time I reached out, I was met with disappointment and further scams, which only deepened my despair. Last year was one of the most challenging periods of my life, filled with anxiety and uncertainty about my financial future. Feeling overwhelmed and at a loss, I confided in a close friend from church about my situation. She listened compassionately and shared her own experiences with financial difficulties. Understanding my plight, she introduced me to Tech Cyber Force Recovery, a group of skilled hackers known for their expertise in recovering lost funds. Skeptical yet hopeful, I decided to reach out to them as a last resort. Their services came at a higher cost, but my friend generously offered to help me with a partial payment. I was amazed by how quickly they responded and began the recovery process. Their team was professional, efficient, and incredibly supportive throughout the entire ordeal. To my relief, they successfully recovered more than I had lost to those heartless scammers. This was truly transformative, and I felt a sense of relief and gratitude that I hadn’t felt in a long time. I strongly encourage anyone who has faced similar challenges or fallen victim to scams to reach out to Tech Cyber Force Recovery. If you’ve invested in a fraudulent platform like I did, they are highly capable of helping you reclaim your hard-earned money. Don’t lose hope; there is a way to recover what you’ve lost.

      CONSULT TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY

      EMAIL.. support@techyforcecyberretrieval.com

      WhatsApp.. +15617263697

      website.. https://techyforcecyberretrieval.com

      Telegram.. +15617263697

      0 Go to comments
      TRENDING
      TRENDING Bob Skinstad and Andrew Mehrtens face backlash in Beziers Bob Skinstad and Andrew Mehrtens face backlash in Beziers
      Search