Halfback Willie Wright has joined the elite of South Canterbury Rugby after playing his 100th game for the ‘‘Green and Blacks’’ on Saturday at Fraser Park.
Wright becomes the province’s 15th centurion after debuting against Russia in 2011, straight out of Timaru Boys’ High School.
Fifteen years later Wright is still impressing on the paddock and has no intention of hanging his boots up just yet, as he remains hungry for more success.
Wright said ‘‘it was pretty amazing’’ to make it to 100 games.
“South Canterbury is a province with a rich history, and you have to hang around a while to have a chance of making it.
“It’s not something you set out to do at the start but the last couple of years I thought if I stay injury-free I could make it.”
Wright’s achievements in club and provincial rugby are impressive, as well as spending three off-seasons playing club rugby in Ireland.
He has played 148 games for Celtic and had made the New Zealand Heartland XV for seven years.
Wright can play either at halfback or first five and is an accomplished goal kicker.
Wright sits second behind Barry Fairbrother on South Canterbury’s all time points scoring list with 599.
The 33-year-old has also represented South Canterbury at cricket, as a batsman-wicket keeper including a Hawke Cup challenge in 2023.
Wright said there had been plenty of highlights along the way but winning the Meads Cup in 2021 was a stand-out.
“We finally broke the hoodoo.”
Wright was also named the Heartland Championship ‘‘Player of the Year’’ in 2021, acknowledging his massive contribution to the championship-winning team.
The other stand-out was the unbeaten run of 39 games over five years, which was no surprise due to Wright’s competitive nature.
The combative Wright admitted he liked to get under the skin of the opposition.
“Anything to give your team an advantage.”
As for those teams and people he loved playing against Wright said Whanganui was top of the list.
“It took us a while to beat them and they had Lindsay Horrocks and Craig Clare, who I have got know through the NZ Heartland side and they are as competitive as I am.”
Wright said Thames Valley were also a team he enjoyed playing, because like South Canterbury they had lifted the bar in terms of Heartland rugby.
Unfortunately for Wright the Swamp Foxes proved too good on Saturday knocking South Canterbury out of the Meads Cup.
