Tyler's confidence growing [Nelson Mail]
Ben Tyler has emerged as something of the mystery man in this season's Tasman Makos lineup.
The 29-year-old Australian had looked handy enough during the recent Tasman club rugby season as a solid attacking fullback for the Nelson club.
But it was his conspicuous efforts for Nelson Bays in their Cecil Shield win over Marlborough and his subsequent efforts on the Tasman Emerging Players two-match southern tour that ultimately forced the selectors' hands.
While Tyler, a primary school teacher by trade, admits he's "a bit long in the tooth" by modern rugby standards, he's showed enough consistency and attacking ability to earn his place in this year's Tasman ITM Cup squad. And despite having been a former Brumbies Development player, his brief second-half cameo against Hawke's Bay last Sunday was still "a shock to the system".
"It was amazing," Tyler said. "It was very quick. I was blowing after about five minutes. It was pretty helter-skelter.
"It's a massive step-up from club rugby and the physicality and the speed of the game ramps up a lot.
"But it's fun and having played for the Brumbies, I have been at that level before but it's been a long time and it was a bit of a shock to the system."
Tyler was born in the suburb of Belmont, about 20 kilometres outside of Newcastle but spent much of his early years in the small southern coastal town of Bermagui.
"It was pretty rural. I never had a rugby team to play for growing up. There were no real sports teams in town."
Bermagui finally had a senior team by the time he'd turned 18 - his first real season of competitive rugby - which also stirred some amusing recollections.
"I won player of the year, though that wasn't any sort of achievement down there."
It wasn't until his move to the University of Canberra in 2008 and 2009 that his rugby really began to take off, his performances in first grade eventually earning him a place in the Brumbies' academy.
The ensuing years saw him play for the Dorking Rugby Club in England's national 3 competition and with the Las Vegas Blackjacks in the United States before joining Christchurch senior club side Marist Albion in 2011.
Eventually, and on the advice of his Westport-born father and now Ngakawau resident Barry Tyler, he decided to answer an advertisement to join the Nelson club. Grandfather Brynley Tyler was also a Buller representative halfback.
I was just trying to travel around and play as opposed to playing good rugby, so I came to Nelson. I guess it was a little bit to do with the Makos, because I'd been in Christchurch for a few years and [Canterbury] don't really look seriously at anyone who hasn't come through their system.""I figured I was 29 and probably had another couple of years' rugby left in me and I sort of felt like I'd probably not made the most of some of my better years," he said.
His safety under the high ball, strong kicking game and ample pace on attack cast him as a natural fullback.
However, he'll take whatever's on offer with the Makos.
"I'm definitely a fullback. I'm learning wing as I go at the moment. I've really got no idea what I'm doing when I'm out there. [But] you take what you can get when you're playing at this level, so if they want me on the wing, then I play on the wing."
Still, father Barry's advice appears to have been right on the money.
"He said, ‘they always play good rugby in Nelson and the Makos have got a reputation for playing some of the most exciting rugby in the ITM Cup'. It's a brand that I think suits me.
