By Dale Budge

Kieran Read’s signature will be one of the biggest coups in the Counties Manukau Rugby Football Union’s history.

The former All Blacks captain and two-time World Cup winner was yesterday unveiled as a member of the PIC Steelers for the 2020 Mitre 10 Cup competition that kicks off in a little over two weeks.

His inclusion will be welcomed around the province. A local kid who got whisked off to Christchurch and Canterbury system straight out of school; Read finally returns home to play for the province he supported growing up.

His junior days were spent at the Drury Rugby Club and later at Rosehill College in Papakura while he also excelled at cricket and enjoyed a successful junior career at the Karaka Cricket Club.

Read has always expressed an interest in playing for Counties Manukau and signed with the Union two years ago despite making his only appearance in a pre-season fixture.

With his All Blacks commitments preventing him from playing a first class match and then opting to sign a lucrative contract to play in Japan after last year’s World Cup it appeared Read would never actually play in a PIC Steelers uniform.

But the onset of Covid-19 meant he wouldn’t go back to Japan until the end of this year, giving him some time to finally tick off the goal of playing for the PIC Steelers.

Make no mistake – this opportunity has come about because Read is so eager to play for the province. He could have taken the easy road back to Japan at the year’s end. He could have stayed at home with his family in Christchurch and played for Canterbury.

Instead, Read will commute back and forth just so he can wear a Counties Manukau jersey.

He will be a huge asset to rookie coach Tai Lavea’s side, providing leadership, credibility and will serve as a role model for his teammates to aspire to be like.

Read will also create interest in the community, bringing back fans that have not always been so quick to venture down to Navigation Homes Stadium in recent seasons and will help attract sponsors to the organisation.

The benefits will be felt in many areas and the team at Counties Manukau Rugby – headed by chief executive Aaron Lawton – should be commended for putting it together.

But above all – Read should be applauded for going out of his way to give back to the place where he hailed from and from where his passion for the sport was born.

Here’s hoping the community gets to be there in full voice to support him and the rest of the PIC Steelers in the season opener against Tasman in a couple of weeks.

Editors Note: Dale Budge will serve as the PIC Steelers’ media manager during the Mitre 10 Cup campaign.