Blues-bound hooker returning to the Mako
Eli Oudenryn was forced to sit out Tasman's final NPC match. Photo: Stephen Stuart.
Some good news for the Tasman Mako after a tough season with blockbusting hooker Eli Oudenryn confirming he is not moving back north permanently.
While the 19-year-old has signed to go to the Blues Super Rugby franchise, he won’t be aligning with an NPC side in its catchment area.
“I will return to Tassie. I love this club, what it has done for me, and I will try and repay that,” declares the New Zealand U20’s star.
He joined the Stoke club last year upon leaving Palmerston North Boys’ High School and he immediately lit up the Tasman Trophy competition with his power, pace, passing and stepping skills.
“I wouldn’t have the opportunities I have now if I hadn’t come down to Stoke. The club set me up and then, obviously, the Mako.”
He starred for the Crusaders U20 and reveals it was a very hard decision to leave.
“I really enjoyed my time down there. It is a very cool franchise but the Crusaders are stacked with players in my position,” says Eli.
He confirms there was interest from the Highlanders as well but decided the Blues was going to be best for him in the long run.
Eli will be in the wider training group next season with a full contract to follow in 2027.
“You don’t just slide in when you have world-class hookers up there like Kurt Eklund and Bradley Slater. I will be behind them for a year and hopefully grow my game.”
But with hookers in the thick of collisions and so prone to injuries, there is every chance he could see game time at the top level next season.
“Another one of my reasonings for going up there was Blues coach Vern Cotter. He is very straight forward, and I really like that about him.”
Two concussions limited Eli to just seven games for the Mako, with only three starts.
“It has been tough as you can’t predict injuries. That is all part of footy, and you have to be prepared to sit out a few weeks on the sideline,” says Eli.
As for Blues preparations, he will shift to Auckland to begin pre-season training at the end of next month.
“I will move into a house with a few of the younger Blues boys and we can learn the ropes together.”
He will probably also have to field the inevitable questions from media up there about his father’s career at the Warriors before he was even born. A rangy and very quick league winger, the Australian import scored 23 tries in 61 games over four seasons for the Warriors from 1997-2000.