HARRY Johnson-Holmes has been telling his NSW Waratahs teammates how good Newcastle is for more than a year.
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Now the power-packed prop will get an opportunity to show them first hand.
The Waratahs will take on the Sunwolves in the first NSW Super Rugby clash outside Sydney at McDonald Jones Stadium on March 29.
“I am the reason we are coming here,” Johnson-Holmes joked at the announcement of the game in Newcastle on Tuesday. “They just want to shut me up. I won’t stop talking about Newcastle. I’m a proud Novocastrian and am really excited to be able to show the team around, take them to Bar Beach and the skate parks ... my old stomping grounds.”
It won’t be the first time Johnson-Holmes has trod on the hallowed turf at Turton Road.
“I played rugby league there when I was a kid at half-time of a Knights game,” he said. “I think it was under-10s for South Newcastle. The prospect of being able to play in front of my family and friends there is exciting.”
A former Merewether High Student and Wanderers junior, Johnson-Holmes is coming of his first season of Super Rugby.
What a ride it has been. The 21-year-old made his debut in round one, helping set up match-winning try against the Stormers, and went on to feature in every game.
“One cap was my target last season,” the loose head said. “I wanted to have that to push me, but I wasn’t going to be too upset if I came away with a donut beside my name. I didn’t expect to get the call-up for round one and to stay in the team all the way through to the semi-finals. In terms of next year, it has put me in a great head space. Hopefully, I can play a lot more minutes and can contribute more to the team than I was able to as a first-year Super Rugby player.”
Since the end of the Super Rugby campaign, Johnson-Homes has won a Sydney Shute Shield premiership with Sydney University and played for NSW Country Eagles in the National Rugby Championships.
“It has been a very rewarding year,” he said. “The coaching staff showed a lot of faith in me. With that comes responsibility. The difference from a year ago to now. Back then I wanted to get on the field for 30 seconds if I could. Now, I want to be off the field for a maximum 30 seconds. For me it’s all internal. I know I have the tools to do it. It is about application and making sure I stay honest with myself, keep working hard, keep working on my skills.”
The Tahs too are after further improvement, after going down to the Lions in the semi-final.
“We have a very good squad coming through,” Johnson-Holmes said. “The team performed really well last season – topped the conference, made the semi-final and unfortunately lost to the Lions. One game away from the big dance. That’s not good enough. Our aspiration is to win the grand final next year. For me, I’m not focusing too much on what happened but what’s ahead.”
As for the running out against the Sunwolves at McDonald Jones Stadium.
“I can’t wait to see 20,000-30,000 Novocastrians screaming and carrying on like they do at every other fixture that is played here, “ he said. “Sport is so important to the Newcastle community and they jump on board whole heartedly.”
