“I left my bike outside the shop, went in then headed straight home and left it there. I forgot about it. I went back the next day and was like, ‘Oh, f***’. Someone stole it.”
Shamus Hurley-Langton may have got lucky for Christmas and ended up with a new bike, but he’s already had his biggest wish come true. He is back, starting games and making big impacts for Connacht.
The Westerners started the season fulfilling the vow made by Mack Hansen: “We’re going to make it really s**t to play against us wherever we are.” They ran Munster close in a high-scoring Thomond Park thriller before seeing off Sharks and Scarlets.
Hurley-Langton was being eased into the campaign after missing some pre-season preparations. He featured, off the bench, in the opening two games before a setback meant he missed the next two months. Desperate to make an impact, the New Zealander worked hard in the background and has now featured in Connacht’s past four games, starting at openside in the Challenge Cup wins over Zebre Parma and Perpignan and the pre-Christmas set-to with Leinster.
The 24-year-old is now in his third season at Connacht and into the make-or-break part of his stay. Signed from Counties Manukau in 2022, he started 18 of his 20 appearances last term, primarily at number seven with a handful coming at six. Year three is when many players feel more settled in sides, and look to put down roots.
“It’s starting to feel more like home,” says Hurley-Langton. “It took a while to get settled in when I first arrived but that’s all changed now.”
Hurley-Langton has spent his past two summer breaks back home, visiting his friends and family. Last year, he headed out hunting and took down his first wild boar. This holiday season, he was joined in Galway by his mother, Pauline Hurley. It is her second time embarking on the 18,000-kilometre journey.
Hurley-Langton spent his formative years going back and forth between Opunake, where his mother lived and worked, and Hawera, half an hour along the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island. His first taste of the sport came at Coastal Rugby Club, where his father, James Langton, made his name. It is immortalised as the club of Kevin Barrett, father to seven children, including the All Blacks trio Scott, Beauden and Jordie.
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“Everyone treats me pretty normal when I get back,” says Hurley-Langton. “It’s a really tight-knit community. Getting back to the club brings back a lot of memories for me from when I was a kid and watching dad training or playing. It’s a pretty special place. I normally watch the guys playing, have a few beers. When your club has three All Blacks, no-one cares much about me!”
Having represented New Zealand at Under-19 level, Hurley-Langton started making a name for himself at Manawatu Turbos, 100km north of his hometown. Fifteen former Turbos played Super Rugby last season, including Hoskins Sotutu, Cam Roigard and Dalton Papali’i. Hurley-Langton won the club’s rookie of the year accolade in 2020 and had designs on playing for New Zealand at the World Rugby U20 Championships, but the Covid pandemic nixed that tournament for two years. He was called into a wider Hurricanes training squad but did not make the cut.
After returning to Manawatu, Hurley-Langton played out the National Provincial Championship then signed for Connacht. The province allowed him to stay sharp by lining out for Coastal, before bags were packed for his long-haul flights to Ireland. During the 20-hour trek from New Zealand, he had a convenient crash course in his new team, courtesy of Connacht prop – and fellow Kiwi – Dominic Robertson-McCoy.
“It started with Simon Kavanagh (Connacht’s head of performance analysis),” Hurley-Langton explains. “He has some sort of data set, where he looks at players all around the world. He found me – my name must have stuck out. Connacht showed a bit of interest during my first season at Manawatu, then were back looking during my second season. Andy Friend then got in touch with my agent and it started to roll on from there.
“When I got here I hadn’t played any Super Rugby so people were probably looking at me thinking, ‘who is this guy?’ I had those thoughts, that I was being questioned, but I tried to stay patient with myself.
“I did find it difficult at the start. It’s not like anyone was making it hard for me, it was just that gnawing sense of having to prove myself and having to learn all these new plays. Then, when it is in the middle of winter here, it is summer back home. Everyone is sharing videos and pictures – going for beers, off to concerts, sun shining. I tried to stay off my phone around New Year when everyone in New Zealand is out and having a good time. I can’t complain too much, though. I’ve got a pretty cool job, getting to travel the world and play rugby.”
Hurley-Langton came to the fore at the end of his first season as the province reached the URC semi-finals, and kicked on the following year. He is a capable try-scorer and his ball-carrying has improved, but the flanker’s superstrength is his menace around the breakdown.
“There’s often talk about how different rugby is here from in New Zealand. To me, I was always taught to clean the first ruck, get to the edge or get to the wing. Whereas here, I feel I’ve actually got more freedom to get my hands on the ball, to come in from the wing and get involved. That’s just for my position, but I definitely enjoy playing rugby a lot more here.”
Connacht have made considerable changes during Hurley-Langton’s time at the club. Stalwarts such as Tiernan O’Halloran and Matt Healy have retired, while Kieran Marmion, Ultan Dillane, Tom Farrell and former captain Jarrad Butler moved on. Pete Wilkins replaced Friend and is in his second season as head coach, with an impressive set of assistants. Former Wallaby enforcer Scott Fardy and legendary ex-Connacht flanker John Muldoon, who captained the province to a remarkable Pro12 title in 2016, are among his lieutenants. For a young back-row adding to his game, those two coaches are invaluable.
“It’s awesome to be able to pick their brains,” Hurley-Langton says. “They’ve been there and done it all in high-pressure situations. I’d be asking Fards what would David Pocock or Michael Hooper do in certain situations, and how did they train. Both lads have played with and against the very best. And you have Mul, who brought the championship back to Connacht. Incredible.”
Hurley-Langton was at Ireland’s Autumn Nations Series clash with New Zealand last month, hoping his Connacht team-mates had good outings while cheering on the visitors. On the brewing rivalry between the nations over the past decade, he notes: “There is a lot more respect for Irish rugby now. It’s not like it wasn’t there before, but when they play now, the games can swing 50/50.
“That World Cup quarter-final was incredible. I was watching that game in a pub with a few of the Connacht lads, and I ended up feeling so bad for them. For everyone in that pub. They were so devastated. You could hear a pin drop. I was thinking, ‘I’ll just keep my mouth shut, here!’”
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