Three years ago, when he was turning out for Lincoln University second XV in Christchurch, the prospect of Chandler Cunningham-South representing England against the All Blacks on this tour was a distant dream in every sense. “It was weird,” admits the 21-year-old back-rower, reflecting on how he felt just before his first game back on Kiwi soil in a white shirt. “It is quite a big U-turn, I guess.”
He can say that again. Born in Sidcup, he moved with his family to New Zealand at the age of four but never cracked the required code in his adopted rugby land. His decision to head back to the UK in early 2022, however, has proved a spectacular success, so much so that the All Blacks must already be privately rueing the one who got away.
