'Home is where the heart is': Kooman's Southland return
Brad Kooman departed Southland for Taranaki in 2023 and says he returned this year a better rugby player, but more importantly, a better person.
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Brad Kooman traces his dream of playing for the Stags back to when he was six or seven, running around on the frosty Southland rugby fields.
In 2020, he got the briefest taste of that dream.
He came off the bench for the Stags in an NPC game against Manawatu at Manfield.
That was before the outside back was shuffled back into the club ranks and was not seen again in a Stags jersey.
By 2023, the dream had somewhat faded.
After a few club games for Blues at the start of 2023, Kooman decided to shift to Taranaki to live.
It was partly for rugby reasons, but mainly life.
“It was just life stuff, and I wasn’t enjoying it, so I decided to make a move and go up to Taranaki.”
Later that year, Kooman found himself back at the NPC level, but this time in the amber and black jersey of Taranaki.
Again, it was another brief taste. He played just the one game off the bench in 2023 before then playing his way into a Taranaki contract in 2024.
Cruelly, in the final round of Taranaki club rugby in 2024, before that contract signing was announced to the public, Kooman broke his jaw.
He had a three-month recovery period and only ended up featuring once at the back end of the 2024 NPC season.
Despite the challenges, Kooman felt his stint in Taranaki had pointed him in the right direction on various fronts.
He felt he had become a better rugby player for it, but more importantly, a better person.
“I learned a lot of life lessons up there, moving away from home and being by myself up there,” Kooman told The Tribune.
“I probably learned more off the field than on it. There were a lot of quality players up there that helped me as well.”
Kooman returned to Invercargill for a visit last year after the NPC season and he caught up with Stags co-coach James Wilson.
A potential return to Southland rugby was discussed.
The 25-year-old returned again in January to work through a few more things. That was before Wilson, and then fellow Stags co-coach Matt Saunders, offered Kooman a contract.
By February, Kooman had decided to take up that offer and returned to play for his Blues club in Southland.
“Home is where the heart is, and I watched most of the Stags games last year and enjoyed the way they played.
“They were obviously trending in the right direction as well.”
Kooman is delighted to be back and having another crack at pushing for game time with the Stags.
“It means a lot. I’ve always wanted to play for the Stags, or be signed by the Stags, since I was probably six or seven, running around on those cold Saturday mornings.
“It means a lot to come home and be with friends and family.”
Kooman is in his second week in camp with the Stags. Their first preseason hit-out will be against Otago in Dunedin on Friday afternoon.
“It is good being back and seeing a few boys I haven’t seen for a while. I went to school with [Sean] Withy, and I probably haven’t seen him since I left school. Guys like that.”
Kooman’s quest now is to add to his one Southland cap in 2020 when the 2025 NPC season rolls around.
He will have his sights on the Stags No 15 jersey with the likes of Rory van Vugt and Scott Gregory other options.
From that one game that Kooman played for the Stags in 2020, just Ethan de Groot and Isaac Te Tamaki remain part of the 2025 Southland squad.
Scott Eade and Marty McKenzie, who played in Kooman’s Southland debut, are now in the Stags coaching setup.
Kooman has not followed your traditional path towards NPC rugby.
He only played a few games of first XV rugby during his time at Southland Boys’ High School, and he never made an age-group Southland team.
It took until he was 20 for rep rugby selection to come when he made Southland B.
“I wasn’t the biggest guy on the field and wasn’t really fast, but I had a bit of a growth spurt when I was about 18 or 19, and it went from there,” Kooman said.
“At the time, I was pretty gutted I missed out on stuff like that, but it helped shape me and probably gave me a tougher skin when you don’t make teams like that.”
Kooman’s sporting focus as a youngster was playing touch, where he excelled.
He credits that time playing touch with aiding his rugby development.
“When I started getting good at touch, it started translating on the rugby field as well. In my first year out of school, I got to go to Kuala Lumpur with Touch New Zealand for the Youth World Cup, and when I came back from there, everything flowed on from there.”
“Touch helped me with some of the finer ball skills and obviously game fitness as well.”
Away from rugby, Kooman has been working as a teacher’s aide and has been in training with the plan to get into youth work.
“I actually really love it. I enjoy working with the kids and seeing if I can make a difference.”
Kooman said the hours of that work had also helped in juggling his rugby quest, given the hours, with his training loads.
“It is actually quite surprising how much a job can affect your rugby. That has probably helped me.
“Nine-to-three hours takes a bit of the stress off. I can just turn up and help the kids, teach them stuff, and enjoy life with them.”
Friday’s Southland-Otago preseason fixture will kick-off at 3pm at the University of Otago Oval in Dunedin.
