After signing an extension to his New Zealand Rugby contract, Cam Roigard admits that his game has been helped by a somewhat “left field” inspiration.
The star scrum-half will remain with the governing body until the end of 2029 at the very least, which takes in the 2027 Rugby World Cup and the British & Irish Lions series two years later.
Roigard has established himself as one of the premier nines in the game following his performances in 2025.
Roigard’s inspiration
To get to where he is now, the 25-year-old has of course taken inspiration from previous All Blacks half-backs, such as Aaron Smith and TJ Perenara, who he watched and then trained with before their departure to Japan.
However, there is another name on that list which is perhaps more surprising in the form of ex-Ireland player Conor Murray.
New Zealanders are perhaps accused of being a bit insular when it comes to rugby, but not Roigard, who has tried to emulate certain aspects of Murray’s game.
“I remember when I was 14 or 15 obviously looking up to the likes of Aaron Smith – his skill set was something I admired – but then I realised as I got a bit older I was not going to be like him because I was a little bit taller for a half-back,” he told Sport Nation.
“I watched a few highlights of TJ Perenara because he was bigger, he was left-footed and I guess I was pretty lucky to rub shoulders with them in the past.
“Even now being a Hurricanes half-back, obviously TJ owned that position for a number of years, so that was someone I did look up to a lot growing up.
“Probably a little bit left-field but Conor Murray as well, being a bigger nine. I think it was around the 2015 era, he was pretty dominant and probably one of the best in the world.
“There was his classic show and go, which was something I tried to copy and paste.”
Roigard’s ambitions
Roigard will hope to continue to improve after firmly establishing himself as New Zealand’s first-choice scrum-half last year.
He has big ambitions at both franchise and international level as both the Hurricanes and the All Blacks seek a better 2026 after an underwhelming 2025.
“I guess the timing and what’s next with the All Blacks calendar is something that’s pretty exciting and enticed me a little bit,” he added.
“The World Cup’s literally next year and then that Lions tour is not far away as well so that’s probably something that has enticed me to sign to 2029.
“The opportunity to play for the Hurricanes for another four seasons, obviously we haven’t won a Super Rugby title and that’s something I want to achieve before I finish up.”