『 Growing as a team, that's the charm of rugby 』

Ever since Harry Hockings joined the team, without thinking everyone has fascinated by his height. He has been performing better as he plays in each game. We will now deliver his first interview since coming to Japan. (Interview Date : Nov, 2021)

◆New Challenge

――First interview, please tell us why you decided to play in Japan.

I had always wanted to go to Japan and when I decided to play in Japan I talked to Samu Kerevi. While talking to Samu, he explained how good Sungoliath and the people there were, which made me want to go to Japan more. Since Samu had convienced me how Japan was good, and I also thought it would be good for my career, so I decided to come play for Sungoliath.

――Why Japan?

Japan is close so it is easy to come from Australia, and there are many players from Australia in Japan, so it was an easy decision. Also, Sungoliath is a wonderful club, so it made my decision even easier.

――Why did you decide to leave Australia and play abroad?

I had been playing rugby for 4 to 5 years as a professional, so I wanted to take on a new challenge. Also my contract with my previous team had expired, so I was looking for a new opportunity and the opportunity to sign with Sungoliath came forward I decided to sign.

――Did you come to Japan with the confidence that you will play an active role?

There are many good players at Sungoliath, and there are foreigner caps during official games, so I knew it would be difficult to win a starting position. I think it is difficult for any player to win a position at Sungoliath.

◆Your growth will lead to the growth of the entire team.

――Did you meet your expectations when you entered Sungoliath?

It was better than I expected. I think it's wonderful that they support everything from life support to food, and the staff take care of in many ways.

――On the rugby side, are you growing as you expected?

Yes. I think I'm growing as a player. I am training with the intention of pulling out all the potential I have, and I also have the goal to make Sungoliath Champions, so I think that growing myself for the team will lead to the growth of the entire team.

――Usually, you seem to have a very gentle personality, but when we watch you play, it seems aggressive. What do you think of yourself?

As with other players, the switch is switched the moment I stand on the ground. Especially as a second row, I have to be physical, so I think it is important to switch my mentality.

◆Always much bigger than others

――Did you play any other sports before you started playing rugby?

I've been playing rugby and rugby league since I was about 5 years old. I'm tall, but I've never played basketball (lol). Other than rugby, I also like volleyball, tennis, cricket, and golf.

――Did you think that rugby suits you the best?

I used to play various sports until high school, but when I graduated from high school, I had to concentrate on one of the sports so I chose Rugby. After all, it is a team sport, so I thought it would be best to be able to enjoy the victory with others. For example, golf and tennis are individual sports, so you can only enjoy the victory by yourself.

――When did you grow taller?

I didn't have a big growth spurt, I was always bigger than others. My family is all tall, but now I'm the tallest

――Are there any secrets to getting taller?

I think it's DNA (lol). I also eat a lot of food.

――In rugby, your height is one of your strengths, right?

Yes, I think so. I think that it is a strength especially in the lineout, and after all rugby has various characteristics depending on the position, and you can make use of various characteristics such as tall people, big people, fast people, etc. I think that's one of best beauties of the game.

◆Strength to dominate the collision

――I think since you've come to Japan, have improved with each match, but do you feel it yourself?

I feel more confident after each match, and I think I have a deeper relationship of trust with my teammates. However, I feel that the growth as a team is stronger than the growth as an individual.

――I think it's normal to think about your own growth rather than the growth of your team.

I think the team mindset is more important. I think it's more important for a team to grow than for an individual to grow. I think that is also one of the beauties of the game.

――Which part of the game have you continued to grow in and are second to none in?

I can't say, but I think we all have to play a role in the team and as a second row. For example, if you are a lineout caller, I think it is absolutely necessary to control the best lineout. Also, I think that my skills such as passing is one of my strengths.

――What do you need to work on?

There are various things, but I think I need to be stronger. Whether it's attack or defense, we are working to build the strength and body to dominate the collision. I want to be physically influential in the game.

――How far have you come now compared to the image of the player you are aiming for?

I think that it is impossible to achieve my potential for the rest of my life, and I think that it is not possible to completely achieve it, and so I must constantly grow.

◆Overall, rugby is fun

――When listening to your story, you seem very humble and kind, but what kind of personality do you think you are?

I think you may be right.

――Do you have any siblings?

I have one older sister and four older brothers, and I am the youngest. I have four older brothers, so the older brothers made me quite tough (lol). I respect my older brothers as they are 12 years, 10 years, 8 years, and 6 years older than me.

――Did everyone play sports?

Everyone was playing sports, and my eldest brother was at Kintetsu Liners. So I talked with my eldest brother about coming Japan before finalizing my decision to come.

――Just to summarize, what do you enjoy about rugby?

I think rugby is fun overall, but for example, it feels good to be able to successfully execute what we've been practicing for a long time.

◆Work hard in the areas that everyone dislikes

――Currently in Japan, top players from various countries are gathering. What do you think about this?

I think it's a very good for the league, and I think it's good because everyone who plays in one league is playing at a high level. Especially in Sungoliath, both our foreign players and Japanese players are great players, so I think we can achieve good results no matter what league we play.

――At Sungoliath, you have been constantly selected for the matches, but are you also considering representatives a national team in the future?

I played a lot of games last season, but I'm still not sure what's going to happen this season, so instead of thinking about the future, I am focused on winning my position on the team.

If I am selected as a representative for the national team in the future, one of my dream will have come true, but as my approach to that, I believe being picked for the national team is the result of winning mmy position in the club and making daily efforts for the things in front of me. Therefore, I try not to think about the national team.

――You have the possibility to represent Australia, or the possibility to represent Japan, right?

Since I am in Japan now, I think it will be difficult to be selected as an Australian representative. As Australia, I also understand that they want to grow the players in Australia. Hence, if I stay in Japan long term, I think there is also the possibility to represent Japan.

――What do you want your fans to pay attention to?

To be honest, as a forward, rather than entertaining the fans, our job is to do the hard work where no one wants to and let the Backs entertain the fans. So I hope everyone notices the hard work the forwards put in (lol).

(Interview & Structure: Kazuyoshi Hariya /Translator: Hino Jesse Okitaro /Editing: Yutaro Igarashi)
[Photo: Aki Nagao]