'Exercise in Southland pride': The Hayes family's Rugby Park return
“I think the terraces at Rugby Park is one of the most honest places you are going to find in the country, so it feels good to be playing for that level of honesty.”
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Steven Hayes is well accustomed to playing at Rugby Park in Invercargill.
He was once a wiry Southland prop who famously was a thorn in the side for an all All Black Auckland frontrow of Craig Dowd, Sean Fitzpatrick, and Olo Brown.
Hayes played 51 games for Southland from 1990 to 1996.
Included in those 51 appearances were outings against Scotland, England B, South Africa, and the British & Irish Lions at the home of Southland rugby - Rugby Park.
Hayes - now 60 - will return to play at Rugby Park on Thursday, although in a different capacity.
“He’s definitely played at the Park before, but not like this,” Hayes’ harmonica-playing, guitar strumming, singer-songwriting son Lachie Hayes says about Thursday.
The former Southland prop will slot into the backing back band as his son Lachie performs during halftime of the Highlanders-Crusaders Super Rugby preseason fixture on Waitangi Day.
Both Steven and Lachie are former Southland Entertainer of the Year winners, with Lachie now gaining some attention nationally through his new original music.
Lachie is delighted to get the opportunity to perform at Rugby Park on Thursday.
“It is a good exercise in Southland pride. It certainly makes me patriotic as a proud maroon and gold follower,” Lachie told The Tribune.
Lachie says he was a too young to remember his dad’s rugby exploits, although he has had many of the stories retold to him over the years.
“I’ve definitely heard a few of them. It’s funny, the stories that often come around and I’ve heard them from Dad and then I hear them from other people, and they are wildly conflated.
“It’s like, wow, he left out a lot from when he told me the story… He’s got some good tour stories.”
While Steven made a name for himself as the battler from Tokanui who was a cornerstone of the Southland scrum, it’s obvious music is his No 1 passion.
“He loves the game of rugby, but he is not real analytical about it. He was mainly about getting down low and pushing hard,” Lachie says.
That passion for music has flowed onto son Lachie.
Thursday provides another opportunity for Lachie Hayes to showcase his own music to a different audience at Rugby Park in Invercargill.
Included in his short set will be his first single titled This River which was released last year.
Rugby Park attendees will also get sneak peek at another of his songs titled Son of a Bitch, which will be part of his album that is set to be released in April.
“I think the terraces at Rugby Park is one of the most honest places you are going to find in the country, so it feels good to be playing for that level of honesty.”
It’s a busy week for the Hayes family.
They will juggle the trip to Invercargill to play at Rugby Park with the Blue Grass Festival at the Niagara Falls Cafe, which the family is involved with organising.
The Blue Grass Festival will be held on Saturday and Sunday.
Lachie navigates his musical aspirations with his job as a teacher, as well as family life.
While it makes for busy times, he is content.
“It’s all good. It’s the lifestyle we chose, I suppose. We couldn’t live without it.”
Thursday’s Highlanders-Crusaders game in Invercargill kicks off at 2.30pm with Lachie Hayes to perform at halftime.
Tighthead
Loved "The River". Great lyrics and video.