Just Clicked Into My Rugby Black Hole Today
Honestly? Saw the name “Kane Barrett” floating around on some rugby forum. Thought, “Who even is this guy?” Name kinda sounded familiar, maybe like a background player? Started digging like I usually do when something piques my interest.
Jumped straight into that big search engine everyone uses, punched in “Kane Barrett Rugby Player”. Expected a ton of stuff, right? First few results were weird – like player profiles listing stats, but mostly empty pages. Felt off. Tried clicking one or two. Zilch. Not even his height or weight properly listed. Annoying. Thought maybe I spelled the name wrong? Double-checked. Nope. “Kane Barrett” it is.
Switched tactics. Figured maybe adding his country would help. Searched “Kane Barrett rugby New Zealand”. Boom. More hits popping up. Found a proper news piece from one of the NZ rugby sites. Started skimming. Okay, got my first real facts:
- Born: 1994? Alright, veteran status almost now.
- Played For: Taranaki in the NPC. Good provincial team.
- Bigger Team: The Blues! Played Super Rugby for them? Didn’t know that.
- Position: Lock. Also listed playing back row. Tall guy, makes sense.
Now I wanted more. Wanted to know about his career path. Went deeper. Found interviews, team announcements scattered across different sites. Pieced it together like a detective.
Learned he wasn’t just chilling in New Zealand. He left NZ! Signed a contract to play in Japan. Played for the Honda Heat. Then? Moved to Ireland! Joined Connacht. That surprised me. Didn’t expect the Irish connection. Wondered how he ended up there.
Even found an announcement about him leaving Connacht and heading back down south to Australia. Signed with the Western Force. Pretty wild journey bouncing around clubs like that.
Then, hit the jackpot. Found some salary reports – those sites that estimate player pay. Talk about eye-opening! His estimated yearly earnings? Around NZ$115,000. Compared to those mega-stars? It’s nothing. Really puts things in perspective. This guy’s grinding internationally without the superstar paycheck. Made me think about the lower-profile guys in pro sports.
Finished up feeling kinda satisfied. Went from total blank to knowing this guy’s whole career map – Taranaki to Blues, off to Japan and Ireland, then landing in Australia. Learned he mainly locks the scrum, occasionally flexes elsewhere. And that salary figure? Yeah, it’s rough out there unless you’re top tier. Shows what the rugby world is really like for most players. Solid player, solid career, but definitely not drowning in cash. Interesting dive!
