Peter Magson, a Lincoln University employee for 30 years, has witnessed some special talents. Scott Barrett, recently appointed captain of the All Blacks, attended the school. Finn Russell also passed through. The most gifted individual Magson met was Jordie Barrett. But he certainly liked Cunningham-South.
“If there was a bit of irregular play outside the ruck, he was decisive,” says Magson, now director of Lincoln’s sports scholarship program. “I remember he had a certain speed with his long galloping legs, like a giraffe. He was probably the tallest player in our club at the time, even though he was only 18. Everyone knew he had quite a bit of potential and he’s already reached some of that potential.”
“We need to get this guy here, right now.”
After a year at Lincoln and a few games with Canterbury’s under-19s, Cunningham-South sent a report that landed in Sunbury, among other places around the world. Jonathan Fisher, then London Irish forwards coach, who had close links to the academy, was astounded.
“Bloody hell, mate,” Fisher sighs. “I think he was the one playing for Canterbury under-19s. Obviously, I didn’t watch him for long, but he played in the red and black stripes. It was the way he carried the ball, the ferocity and the drive, the ability to get into tight spaces, pushing people away from him.”
“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I couldn’t understand how this person was going to get on a plane and leave New Zealand. I remember seeing three or four porters and running to Declan Kidney’s office, with Les Kiss as well, and saying, ‘We’ve got to get this guy here, right now.’ It was almost one of those situations that’s too good to be true.
“When he came in, the first session we had was a session without 23s, on a Saturday morning before a Premiership game in the afternoon. People often use the word ‘raw’, but he couldn’t have embodied that word more. He didn’t really know how to train. The fundamentals of his game were quite fuzzy. But he had a big smile and a desire to get on the ball and make things happen.”
The rest is history, and a rapid rise worthy of a movie script. Cunningham-South joined Irish in February 2022, played a handful of games for Esher and quickly settled into the England age-grade system. The 2022-23 campaign under Kidney and Kiss was a huge success and Steve Borthwick quickly selected Cunningham-South for the 2024 Six Nations, retaining him for that tour as a sign of the diamond in the rough’s immense promise.
The challenge will be different against reigning world player of the year Ardie Savea and the rest of New Zealand’s back row. Cunningham-South will be in the presence of his mother, Caroline, family and friends. No one expected the little schoolboy to take to the test stage so quickly. Where he might go from here is anyone’s guess.
