Elevate Player Spotlight: Jackson Garden-Bachop

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The first player profiled in our new Elevate Player Spotlight series is Jackson Garden-Bachop, who joins Northern United this year from Scots College. The inside back made the New Zealand Secondary Schools team last year and was named the College Sport Wellington boys' rugby player of the year. The previous five winners of this award have been Ardie Savea, TJ Perenara, Lima Sopoaga, Julian Savea and Buxton Popoalii - all current Super Rugby players. He didn’t miss a single match in four seasons of playing in the Scots College first XV.

Here’s his Elevate+ club rugby player profile:

Name: Jackson Garden-Bachop

Club: Northern United

Playing position: First five-eighth, second five-eighth

Secondary School attended: Scots College

First rugby club played for: London Irish

Earliest rugby memory: Watching my dad [former international Stephen Bachop] playing at the 1999 Rugby World Cup playing for Samoa on my birthday.

Playing position growing up: Anywhere in the backs

Favourite memory from First XV rugby: Either winning the Presbyterian Cup Quadrangular in 2012 or beating Wellington College 19-17 in 2010.

Favourite rugby memory so far: Making the New Zealand Secondary Schools team last year

Favourite player: Daniel Carter

Favourite non-rugby sports person: Michael Jordan

Pre-game rituals: Listening to music; taping my wrists

The good and the bad about training: The good: being able to try and learn new things; the bad: fitness work

Hobbies and interests outside of rugby: Playing volleyball; playing the guitar

Study/work outside of rugby: Studying at Massey University doing Health Studies

Favourite superhero or fictional character: Ash Ketchum [Nintendo Pokemon]

Favourite movie: The Shawshank Redemption

The last book I read was: Human Bioscience and Normal Body Function 214.101

My signature dish in the kitchen is: Toast

Best piece of advice from my parents: “The difference between the ordinary and the extraordinary is the extra.”

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