The dream of playing Super Rugby had all but disappeared for Bay of Plenty halfback Luke Campbell until he got an unexpected call from the Hurricanes.
Photo: Photosport Ltd 2020
25 year old Campbell is Wellington born and raised and came through the system in the capital before heading north to further his career, a career that had appeared to stall.
However with TJ Perenara taking up a short-term contract in Japan and Manawatu halfback Jamie Booth breaking his leg, the Hurricanes had just one halfback on their books for 2021, Jonathan Taumateine from Counties-Manukau.
Campbell has been on the Wellington radar most of his career, playing in a successful Wellington College team that included fellow Hurricanes Wes Goosen and James Blackwell and Melbourne Storm NRL star Nelson Asofa-Solomona.
He was a part of the Wellington Academy and captained the Wellington under-19 side that won the inaugural Jock Hobbs title in 2014. That side was coached by Clayton McMillan, who the next year would take over at Bay of Plenty.
With Campbell failing to crack with Wellington senior side it wasn't long before McMillan came calling and offered him a place in the Bay team.
His career path seemed to be back on track, but he spent the next few season as the Steamers number two and then in 2019 he suffered a back injury that put paid to his season.
He admits it was tough to get motivated because of the injury.
"There was uncertainly about when I would be back as the doctors didn't really know how long nerves take to heal, but I made sure I still got involved helping at training's and attending all the meetings and trying to learn everything I could."
Luke Campbell in the NZ under 20 side Photo: Supplied
Campbell concedes spending a year on the sidelines probably helped him in the end.
"I was able to take a step back and really see things from a coaches perspective and see why the coaches would say the things they did at training's, I wanted to try and take what I could from that year."
The injury cleared in time for him to have a good build-up to the 2020 season and he wanted to make the most of it.
"I wanted to put everything into it because after spending a season injured, you don't know what lies ahead and when you might get injured again so I really worked hard on my craft and trying to reach the next level."
Campbell was competing with All Black Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi for the Steamers number nine jersey this year and got a start in the round six Mitre 10 Cup game against Manawatu, he then kept the starting spot for the rest of their campaign which got them through to the Premiership semi-finals.
In his second start Bay of Plenty stunned Canterbury 44-8, which he says gave him and the rest of the side a lot of belief.
"All of us afterwards I think we were in a bit of shock, we had the belief and knew that we could (beat them) and while they weren't the same team of previous years, they were still Canterbury and so to win and to win well was pretty special."
The Bay needed to keep winning to secure their Premiership survival and in the end snuck into the top four.
It was during that time that the stars started to align for the chirpy number nine.
I'm probably pretty lucky that things all lined up for me with TJ leaving, Jamie getting injured and me getting regular game time for Bay of Plenty.'
"You get your opportunity unfortunately out of other people being injured or leaving town, but that's how a lot of guys in New Zealand get their shot anyway and so I think its a lot about timing and doors opening for others."
Like a lot of kids Campbell would run around the backyard with a ball wearing an old black jersey hoping that one day he might be an All Black, but his dream was to play for the Hurricanes.
He says both his parents were very support and his father Kevin, who in 1986 was part of the Wellington team, but spent most of his career "on the bench getting splinters", according to Luke, would take him to the stadium to watch the Hurricanes.
Wellington under-19 captain Luke Campbell Photo: Supplied
Campbell also played Aussie Rules and was an age group cricket rep for Wellington.
His career hi-lite until now may have been making the New Zealand under-20 side in 2015 for the Oceania series, but unfortunately he didn't make the cut for the World Cup later that year.
"It's pretty special to think that it's a dream coming true," but Campbell admits he did have thoughts in recent years that it might never happen.
"My first few years here (Bay of Plenty) it was always my intention to play Mitre 10 and then go on to Super Rugby, but as the year's went by and younger players were getting picked up by Super Rugby teams, I thought I've lost that shot and then getting injured last year I thought that's it."
He admits that believing he was out of Super Rugby contention meant he took a different attitude into the 2020 season.
"I was probably a bit more relaxed and felt I'll just play my footy and enjoy it and whatever comes will come and scarily enough it has."
Campbell has had a taste of Super Rugby, called into the Chiefs wider group as injury cover for three weeks during the 2017 season.
In fact he had thought that if he was ever to get a call up it would be with the Chiefs and so the call from the Hurricanes to come home was a pleasant surprise.
"Because I'd played all my age group rugby in Wellington I think they (Hurricanes) had kept tabs on me, of course now I can say I'd rather go there than anywhere else."
While he'd had a few people this year comment on how well he was playing, he rejected any possible talk of promotion to Super Rugby.
"It was definitely out of the blue when my agent told me Jason Holland (Hurricanes coach) was about to call me, I thought I was hearing things."
A young Luke Campbell with his then Hurricanes idol Aaron Cruden Photo: Supplied
He admits the next few hours were tough with his heart racing and he and his partner trying to not get too excited as nothing had been confirmed.
He told his parents straight after the first call from the Hurricanes, but nothing had been signed and so he had to wait more than a week and play through another provincial game before he could tell his team-mates.
"I didn't want to say I'd had a call and then it come to nothing, so some pretty tense times and sleep was hard to come by for a few nights, but it was very exciting."
Campbell says when things weren't going his way earlier this year he had been considering a move overseas possibly to the North American League.
The move now is just down the north island and back home.
Contract signed, Campbell says it's now time to make an impression on the field and is reminded to never give up hope.
The new Super Rugby Aotearoa season starts at the end of February with the squads getting together in the new year.