Meet the latest Southland prop on the rise
Mossburn lad Liam McIntosh is another young prop to emerge from Southland with big wraps. He will be one of 50 players New Zealand-wide to head to Wellington to attend a five-day national U19 camp.
Southland goes pretty well when it comes to producing props.
Think Clarke Dermody, Jamie MacKintosh, and Ethan de Groot. All have pulled on the All Black jersey during the past 17 years.
This year Southland rolled another one off the production line when Hunter Fahey made his Stags debut at just 20 years old following a stint with the New Zealand U20 team.
But it doesn’t end there.
Mossburn lad Liam McIntosh is the latest young prop to emerge from Southland with big wraps.
Next week McIntosh will be one of 50 players New Zealand-wide to head to Wellington to attend a five-day national under-19 camp.
His one six players from the Highlanders region and the only Southlander included.
“I got the phone call from [Rugby Southland academy manager] Scott Eade about two weeks ago about my selection.
“It’s a good opportunity to go up there and learn and grow my skills,” McIntosh told The Tribune.
Those in in attendance at the camp will include the New Zealand Under-20 management who will cast an eye over the potential prospects.
McIntosh was part of the Southland U19 setup this year before spending some time training with the Stags during the NPC season.
At one point the 19-year-old loomed as a possibility of making his NPC debut when the Stags propping stocks were hit hard by injury.
While he has had a month or so break from rugby specific training he has kept fit, knowing there was the potential of being part of the New Zealand U19 Development camp.
For McIntosh, it’s another step in a rugby journey that started out playing Rippa rugby in Mossburn where his family runs a dairy contracting business.
He progressed through the age groups before making his first Southland representative team at under-13 level while attending Northern Southland College.
McIntosh eventually made the shift to join Southland Boys’ High School and started training with the school’s first XV in Year 11 before playing in Year 12 and Year 13.
He credits Southland Boys’ coaches Peter Skelt and Jason Dermody for what they did in helping with his progression.
After school, McIntosh last year headed to Dunedin to study a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in management, at the University of Otago.
But in a change of tact, Rugby Southland decided to include him and fellow Southland Boys’ frontrower Jack Taylor in its academy programme in 2022, despite being based in Dunedin.
“It was great having that opportunity to study and still be connected with Southland - our roots.”
In some parts, McIntosh and Taylor were both the pioneers in helping launch the extension of Rugby Southland’s academy to Dunedin.
“It’s been trialled and we’ve learnt from the mistakes and it’s slowly progressed,” McIntosh said.
That number based in Dunedin was extended to four players this year, and next year there will be 10 Dunedin-based players as part of the Rugby Southland academy.
“It’s good that Southland is doing that now and giving us that opportunity to be with Southland but still follow our passion of a career with studying, or other stuff.”
Following the New Zealand U19 Development camp, McIntosh’s next rugby focus will be on the Highlanders U20 campaign.
Remarkably 2024 will be his third year in the Highlanders U20s.
Several players from his first year with that team, on Thursday, were included in the Highlanders’ main squad for the 2024 Super Pacific competition.
“It is definitely cool to see some of those boys that I played with make the Highlanders, like Jacko [Jack Taylor].”
In fact, few have followed Taylor’s progress to Super Rugby closer than that of McIntosh. They played in the front row together at Southland Boys’ High School, both bordered at the school’s hostel and followed the same path to Dunedin where they are studying the same degree.
“We shared a dorm a few years ago. We’ve been quite close so seeing him doing well has definitely motivated me to do well and to push myself. He’s a good man.”
There’s is another Southland frontower in the Highlanders that’s provided McIntosh with a bit of added inspiration as well.
“Obviously [Ethan] de Groot, he’s done really well recently. It’s been pretty cool to see him put Southland on the map again going to the World Cup. It definitely motivates me.”
On top of McIntosh’s Highlanders U20 commitments, McIntosh will again line up for Kaikorai next year in Dunedin club rugby and may well come into contention come the Stags’ 2024 NPC campaign.
Although McIntosh isn’t getting too far ahead of himself.
“I’m just focusing on what’s ahead of me, this U19s camp and then the ‘Landers 20s, and will see what happens from there.
“But [the Stags] is definitely a goal of mine.”