You’d be mistaken for thinking 23-year old Tyler Beary was kiwi through-and-through when he travelled from New Zealand to Ayr for the start of the FOSROC Super6 season. His foreign twang mixed with hard-nosed running ability and crafty skill-set in the midfield impersonated many of the names associated to “the Land of the Long White Cloud”.
Pic: Beary crosses white wash for the Ayrshire Bulls first ever score (SNS/SRU) You’d be wrong. His story began in the rival nation of South Africa, where he was born to a South African mother and Irish father. As a baby they moved to Cork, where he grew up watching the likes of O’Driscoll over Umaga. It wasn’t until he was ten years old that he moved to New Zealand and started to kick-on at rugby: “I first picked up a ball at Crosshaven RFC in Cork, I think I played one game when I was very small but I didn’t play again, I was into my football. It was when I moved to New Zealand I got really stuck into it”. After five years playing, and studying, at Otago University Tyler decided the time was right to start looking back north. Equipped with a degree in Economics and Management, he started to put the feelers out: “I knew I wanted to come back to Europe, and I wanted to do that through rugby… I got a few offers across England, Scotland and Italy and decided the Bulls gave me the best chance to progress”.
He took the plunge into the unknown, deciding the Ayrshire Bulls were the best fit and has seamlessly integrated to life in Ayr: “I’m surrounded by a great bunch of lads. We are having a lot of fun. “It is a fantastic little town”. The camaraderie of the group is personified by where he spent his Christmas. Too far to travel home, he still managed a shorter flight south to the isle of Jersey with his kiwi midfield partner Tom Jordan. The pair sought refuge with teammate Ewan Davies and his family, who welcomed the boys over the festive period: “We really enjoyed ourselves and Ewan’s mum Sue took great care of us… her Brussel sprouts were phenomenal”. Tyler is getting used to adapting to things. From accents and the pace of speech to the style of play on the pitch: “It is very forward dominating so I’m adjusting my play. It is a bit more crash ‘n’ bash than I’m used to but hopefully with the weather getting better we can start to throw the ball around a little more and have fun”. It is an unprecedentedly short season, with Tyler having to find his feet quickly. Just six games in and already we are reaching the business end of domestic competition. With it all heating up there is only one thing on his mind: “The goal is to win it all”. Tyler and the Bulls have a training game this Saturday against Scotland U20s, before returning to Super6 action next weekend away to Watsonians. You can catch them at Millbrae on Sunday 26th of January when they host Southern Knights in their final regular-season home game. Secure your tickets below…