Bryce Heem- What a Lad

Bryce Heem is one of the most underrated rugby players New Zealand has produced. From leaving school early and working trades, to partying his way through his late teens, Bryce carved out a 15-year professional rugby career through hard work, resilience and taking every opportunity that came his way.

Playing for the Auckland, Northland, Tasman, the Chiefs, the Blues, NZ Sevens, Worcester and Toulon, Bryce built a career that took him all around the world and made him one of the most respected teammates in the game.

Some parts that stood out for me in this episode were…

- How he's found his transition from rugby to mortgage broking

- Going from working in refrigeration and air conditioning to marking Hosea Gear in his first professional game

- The brutal fitness standards and lessons he learned under Gordon Tietjens in NZ Sevens

- Why he chose to leave New Zealand rugby for Worcester and the reality of overseas rugby life

- Returning home from France after his dad was diagnosed with lung cancer

- How a simple message helped earn him a contract with the Blues

- Winning Super Rugby with the Blues after years of being so close

- His thoughts on missing out on the All Blacks and why he has no regrets about his career

- Why “don’t burn bridges” became one of the biggest lessons he learned through rugby

Bryce is one of those lads everyone he played with will conform he's a legendary man. Tough as nails on the field, humble off it and full of great perspective from a career that took him all over the world. Plenty of laughs, honest reflections and awesome stories in this one!

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