By Campbell Burnes   

Papakura’s new recruit will bring a wealth of experience in both hemispheres to the premier team’s front-row.
Twenty-six-year-old Jarrod Firth is on the comeback trail from a neck operation in October last year and was keen to link up with Papakura, having previously played for Ardmore- Marist.

“Papakura’s a club on the rise. Ardmore-Marist are pretty stacked in the front-row
department. So I thought I’d head to Papakura. I know Shaun Clotworthy pretty well through
horse-racing, so it seems like a good fit,” says Firth, who played the last of his 27 games as a
tighthead prop for the Steelers in 2015.

While the premiers have won just the one game (famously, against Karaka), the performances
have been much improved from last season. Firth likes what he is seeing.
“They are real young, but they are passionate, and there’s some intelligent boys in there. It’s
going to click for us soon. The performances are there and we haven’t been far off. It’s just
experience and time on the paddock. I think there are some good things happening at
Papakura and it will be cool to see how it develops over the next couple of years,” he says.
Firth’s neck troubles stemmed from a collapsed scrum at training with French Top 14 side
Grenoble in 2017. But he is confident he has done all the right things post-operation and the
neck itself feels fine now.
“It’s been a bit of a drag getting through the rehab and getting back on the field, especially in
my position.”
But he is back training with the Steelers and though he has yet to sign a contract, some solid
displays in the next few weeks will surely put him back in the frame to play Mitre 10 Cup for
Counties Manukau.

He was what is known as a “medical joker” for Grenoble, replacing an injured player. That
club was demoted at the end of last season but has won promotion back to the top flight after
finishing runner-up in the 2017-18 PRO D2. There is a long list of Kiwis at the club,
including Lolagi Visinia, Steven Setephano, Nigel Hunt and Latu Talakai.
“The physicality of the Top 14 is unreal. It’s a lot slower but they put a massive emphasis on
set-piece and physical domination. They scrum differently with their angles and it can be a
free-for-all. It was a learning curve in the scrums, but it’s helped me a lot,” says Firth.
That sort of experience, along with a season under Gregor Townsend at the Glasgow
Warriors, will be priceless for the Papakura pack, and is another indication of the club’s
ability to attract good players, after the return of loose forward George Crichton.

Papakura faces Firth’s old club Ardmore-Marist on Saturday, and the man himself is keen to
see plenty of minutes against his old mates, whether it be starting or off the bench. He has
suited up just once thus far after being given the medical all-clear.
Ardmore-Marist is the competition leader and defeated Papakura 45-14 back in March, but
this round 11 clash should see a far more competitive Papakura.

Kickoff is at 2.45pm at Massey Park.