{"id":555489,"date":"2025-11-07T17:12:34","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T17:12:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/555489\/"},"modified":"2025-11-07T17:12:34","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T17:12:34","slug":"just-how-close-finlay-christie-really-came-to-playing-for-scotland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/555489\/","title":{"rendered":"Just how close Finlay Christie really came to playing for Scotland"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

All Blacks<\/a> halfback Finlay Christie<\/a> recalls just how close he was to becoming a Scotland<\/a> international, as Gregor Townsend<\/a> pitched the opportunity to play for the country he had left as a seven-year-old.<\/p>\n

Although not named to face the nation of his birth at Murrayfield this weekend, it\u2019s a fixture that hits close to home for the Auckland Blues<\/a> nine.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was very close to be fair,\u201d Christie told RugbyPass this week, when asked how close he was to declaring for Scotland.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a chat with him [Gregor Townsend], and weighed up a few options,\u201d he says. \u201cI was coming to the end of my [Auckland] Blues contract, and I was pretty keen.\u201d COVID disrupted the move, and the option to remain in New Zealand<\/a> looked increasingly enticing as clubs in the Northern Hemisphere struggled under the weight of financial uncertainty caused by the virus.<\/p>\n

In many ways, it worked out for Christie and the All Blacks. After countless \u2018Kilted Kiwis\u2019 made names for themselves with Scotland, it was finally time for New Zealand to get some payback. \u201cWe got one and you guys got about 50!\u201d as former head coach Ian Foster joked at the time.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Scotland <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

New Zealand <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Scotland years in Peebles and Aberdeen represented just a small chapter in the 30-year-old\u2019s life, but the connection remains strong. His brother Gregor plies his trade with Scottish Premiership side Currie Chieftains as a nine.<\/p>\n

You can also find an interview in which Christie deals with quiz questions about his birth country as easily as a ball at the back of a ruck. Unfortunately, it has also made him the de facto tour guide in the capital.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone seems to think that I know everything about Edinburgh, but I don\u2019t think they realise it was over 20 years ago that I lived here,\u201d he jokes. \u201cHalf the time I\u2019m telling them I don\u2019t know.\u201d Instead, ask the halfback about what makes New Zealand so adept at producing players despite the limited population size of 5.3 million.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s our upbringing,\u201d as he puts it. \u201cA massive point of difference that New Zealand has, as you\u2019ll see with any All Black, is they\u2019ll tell you it was a dream as kids growing up in their backyard, playing in bare feet from about three, four years old.\u201d<\/p>\n

It might seem to some that the idea of future All Blacks spending every waking minute tossing a ball around is just a lazy stereotype when it comes to identifying the root of their success \u2013 but Christie disagrees.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, not at all,\u201d he argues. \u201cIt\u2019s part of the culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just as much as the fundamentals learned in the garden, Christie can credit patience and perseverance for his 27 caps. For most of his career, however, being an All Black wasn\u2019t on the cards. Struggling for starts with the Chiefs<\/a> and Hurricanes, it was the move to the Blues that kick-started the journey to Ian Foster\u2019s plans in 2021 \u2013 only a year after making the switch.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was pretty surreal. I know it sounds clich\u00e9, but if I\u2019m being honest, it was a position I never thought I would be in. That\u2019s for sure,\u201d says Christie. \u201cEven early on in my Super Rugby days, I was never different. My playing style was never really, really good or anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"FinlayXavier Roe<\/a> (L) and Finlay Christie (R) of the All Blacks during a New Zealand All Blacks training session at North Harbour<\/a> Stadium on September 2, 2025, in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Phil Walter\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

So what was it that got him there? \u201cA lot of hard work,\u201d he says. \u201cI worked a lot on my skills. I was never the best passer growing up, and then I started playing halfback and obviously it\u2019s your core role.\u201d<\/p>\n

The progress was enough to give him the chance to wear the coveted jersey.<\/p>\n

All players will defend the significance of their own shirt, but the link All Blacks have to theirs has taken on mythical proportions \u2013 so much so that Peter Bills wrote a book off the back of the idea. Another stereotype? \u201cFor us as All Blacks, we connect quite a lot to the history of the jersey, but also to past players \u2013 legends of the game,\u201d he says. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a motto, \u2018no one wants to let the jersey down.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Wearing the shirt represents a career zenith for many, but it comes with an equally heavy weight \u2013 one intensified when the almost unachievable standards set back home aren\u2019t met. Being part of the squad that reached the 2023 World Cup final was \u201ca special experience,\u201d as Christie puts it.<\/p>\n

But not coming away with the Webb Ellis continues to haunt.<\/p>\n

\u201cMan \u2026\u201d Christie says before pausing, \u201cThere are a lot of boys in this squad that still think about that quite often to this day. It\u2019s one of those that I guess you\u2019ll have with you for the rest of your life.\u201d<\/p>\n

What should have been a proud moment was slightly soured as Christie, selected ahead of highly touted prospect Cam Roigard<\/a> on the bench during the knock-out stages, became a lightning rod for Kiwi ire.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt comes with the territory. Those guys in the media especially, will always have their own views, and it\u2019s their job to try and push things. But yeah, some people can get pretty jacked up about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"<aWaratahs Blues Finlay Christie\u201d width=\u201d1023\u2033 height=\u201d557\u2033 \/> Finlay Christie of the Blues reacts during the round four Super Rugby Pacific<\/a> match between NSW Waratahs and Blues at Allianz Stadium, on March 16, 2024, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brett Hemmings\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Disappointment was followed by a Super Rugby title in 2024, but that didn\u2019t seem to convince everyone.<\/p>\n

Anywhere else, it might be easy to steer clear of the critics \u2013 but not in New Zealand. The grip the sport has on the nation\u2019s psyche is so strong that burying your head in the sand is impossible; even the ants are talking about it.<\/p>\n

What followed was a short absence from selection as Christie looked to repair his \u201cbroken\u201d body. His return for the Rugby Championship, however, prompted legendary scrum-half Justin Marshall<\/a> to pull no punches, asking \u201cwhy the hell\u201d he had been selected.<\/p>\n

A hard thing for any player to hear from a childhood idol \u2013 especially one who\u2019s felt similar disappointment with the All Blacks at World Cups gone by.<\/p>\n

\u201cKnowing that a lot of the players, or past players in the media were in our shoes. When they\u2019re the ones firing bullets, it\u2019s a bit disappointing because they know what it feels like. But we can\u2019t get too caught up in it, eh?\u201d Christie adds cheerily.<\/p>\n

Back in the building, competing with Roigard and Cortez Ratima<\/a> has meant limited game time on the Grand Slam tour so far. Not selected as the All Blacks produced a statement win against Ireland<\/a> in Chicago, he was unable to crack the 23 to take on Scotland at Murrayfield.<\/p>\n

However, Christie\u2019s father has still made the trip for the occasion, where many of the clan will congregate for Scotland\u2019s attempt to end the 120-year wait for a win against New Zealand. Not that family ties will sway him on the day.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love both countries. But I\u2019m playing for one team at the moment, so my sole focus and energy is all going there. It doesn\u2019t mean to say if Scotland are playing any other team, I won\u2019t be backing them.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"All Blacks halfback Finlay Christie recalls just how close he was to becoming a Scotland international, as Gregor…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":555490,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4102],"tags":[4151,79,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-555489","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-rugby","8":"tag-rugby","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115509537408295130","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=555489"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555489\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/555490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=555489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=555489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=555489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}