From Māori All Blacks to Oxford Blue: Reed Prinsep’s Next Chapter

Photo Credit: Nick Browning

As the Men*s Blues prepare to face Trinity College Dublin, I sat down with Reed Prinsep, the first recipient of the Liddell Oxford Rugby Scholarship, to talk about his rugby career and his journey to Oxford and OURFC.

A native of Christchurch New Zealand, Reed began playing rugby at nine years old after his friends began transitioning from football into rugby; ‘rugby was always a part of my life’ commented Reed, but ‘I followed my mates into football until they decided to move to rugby’. Reflecting on his early memories of rugby, Reed fondly recounts ‘going to watch his [my] dad as a young fella’ on the weekend, knowing he would one day run across that same 100 meters of grass. Despite the family connections to rugby, with his brother Blair also playing, Reed reaffirms that his move to rugby was purely ‘all to do with what my mates were doing’. Blair came to rugby before Reed and despite being two and half years younger, ‘he was bigger, quicker, stronger, faster and a tighthead with a whole lot of talent’ and at age grade ‘was always the better player’ remarked Reed. Captaining Canterbury Under 16s and playing for the All Blacks Under 16s, Blair was quickly moving through the ranks of New Zealand rugby. Reed ‘felt that he [I] was trying to keep up’ and despite making the best local teams ‘he [Blair] was making them at a higher level and there was always an element of “oh I wish I was in those teams”. Despite the competitive instinct and the hunger to chase after the opportunities that Blair was receiving, Reed speaks about his brother with great fondness as he reflects that ‘we were always supportive of each other and wanted each other to succeed’; success that rooted itself in a work ethic cultivated by brotherly competition. Reed and Blair played together at school during Reed’s final year, adding ‘it was such a proud moment to play alongside my brother’.

Reed attended Christchurch Boys’ High School and ‘even before high school, he [I] wanted to go there [Christchurch Boys’] as it was a renowned rugby school’. Christchurch Boys’ provided a springboard for Reed to explore his rugby aspirations and ‘it gave him [me] a platform to dream of being a better rugby player and to be a better person’. High school proved to be a turning point for Reed as he watched Nasi Manu (Tonga 2018-22) and Ash Dixon (Māori All Blacks 2013-21), ‘the big dogs’ as he described them, playing for the Christchurch Boys’ XV. The experience of watching Manu and Dixon ‘lit a fire of wanting to do better and pursue rugby further’. In 2014 Reed played alongside Manu during his last season at Canterbury, reflecting on this time, Reed comments that it ‘was pretty special’ as ‘he [I] wanted to be like Manu and to play alongside him was something I never imagined’. The drive and fire Reed gained at Christchurch Boys’ grew as he transitioned into university; Reed attended the University of Canterbury studying Law and Finance. Alongside his academic work Reed also trained with Canterbury adding that ‘it was around this time, he [I] thought he [I] could properly give this professional rugby thing a crack’ as he worked tirelessly to achieve his degree and to grow in his rugby. It was the perfect balance, according to Reed, balancing rugby and study was never a choice as he knew he could do both; ‘you can’t be focused on one thing’ he said, ‘focusing on one thing doesn’t get the best out of yourself’. There was never a choice between law and rugby as ‘the fire was lit to pursue a career in rugby’ but ‘head in books made me a better player’ as it provided an escape from the game, an ability to switch off from the intensity and to focus on something else. Reed spent 3 years as a full-time student before going part-time for 7 years to pursue his rugby career and ‘it is one of the personal highlights of my life, graduating from university after 10 years of studying’.

Reed spent 10 years of his rugby career at Canterbury, a team that became family over the years, reflecting that ‘it is my home and that team gave me opportunity, I owe a lot to Canterbury’. Joining in 2014 on the back of six National Provincial Championships, it was tipped to be an intense season, but after a hard-fought season Canterbury missed out on the semi-finals that year. Reed comments that ‘it was a special place with bone deep relationships between players’; relationships that reflected out on the pitch; relationships that allowed the team to pick themselves up and return to the top the following season and subsequently winning 3 consecutive championships in later years. After winning seasons with Canterbury, Reed spent a season at the Crusaders in 2016, despite a brilliant preseason the playing season was short-lived, with Reed knocked out after 10 seconds of play during the first game of the season. It was his first taste of Super Rugby adding sarcastically that ‘it was a great way to start my Super Rugby career’. Shortly after recovering from his head injury, Reed accepted a 2-year contract with the Hurricanes adding that he ‘loved that club and those people and it was a special time and a special place’. Whilst at the Hurricanes, Reed returned to Canterbury and was made captain for the 2020/21 season. Reflecting on his leadership philosophy, Reed emphasises the importance of authenticity and the ability to connect with as many people as possible; ‘he [I] made a conscious effort to build and create as many relationships as possible so if he [I] needed them, everyone knew it came from a good place.’ Reed was involved in leadership groups from 2018 and remarking that the phrase “don’t change who you are, you got here for a reason” always stuck with him, highlighting the importance of being authentic and learning to listen those around you; Reed added that ‘developing as a player and a leader wasn’t going to change him [me]’. The “team first” mentality goes hand in hand with authenticity for Reed commenting that, ‘regardless of the outlook, whether positive or negative, demanding more from your team should always came first’, and valuing the work each induvial puts into the team is the root to success.  After seven seasons with the Hurricanes, Reed joined Western Force from the 2024/25 season and in June 2025 faced the British and Irish Lions on their Australia tour wearing jersey number 20. It ‘was pretty cool to face the Lions’ commented Reed, adding that he ‘made a conscious effort to take it all in’ as he played in front of a crowd of 48,000 in Perth. Despite the gravity of the occasion, this wasn’t Reed’s first time facing the Lions as in 2017 on the Lions tour to New Zealand, Reed represented the Hurricanes in the eighth match of the series which ended in a 31-31 draw.

Photo Credit: Steve Karpa

In 2016 Reed was selected to represent the Māori All Blacks on their Northern Hemisphere tour making his debut against Munster in November wearing the number 6 jersey. It was Reed’s first overseas tour and despite being ‘green in terms of experience’ it was ‘pretty special’ to be chosen to represent the Māori All Blacks. A prerequisite for playing for the team is that a player has Māori whakapapa (genealogy) and all players have their ancestry verified before selection. Reed stated that ‘it isn’t just about the country but the culture’ as he recounts that camp consisted of learning about Māori culture through speakers and singing alongside training; ‘everyone is connected through blood, and ancestry is through everyone’ he added, highlighting the importance of playing for your culture and traditions as well as your country. The importance of honouring and respecting culture was clear during the Haka of Reed’s debut game against Munster. In the pouring Irish rain captain Ash Dixon, laid a jersey in honour of Anthony Foley the late Munster coach who passed away in October 2016. It was a powerful tribute and a mark of respect from the visiting team before they entered a physical battle for victory. ‘I really enjoyed doing the Haka for the first time’ said Reed, continuing that ‘once you get a taste, you want more’ and the ‘fire burned’ to play international rugby. Reed went on to play four more seasons with the Māori All Blacks, playing against Premiership giants like Harlequins and international competition like the USA and Fiji.

After an illustrious professional rugby career, Reed decided to step back at the end of the 2024/25 season to pursue a transition out of rugby. Reed recalls one of his dad’s colleagues discussing studying an EMBA in England and ‘it always stuck with me for something down the line to do’ and from 2023 onwards it became a serious consideration. The focus was always going to be business according to Reed with the ability to transition out and translate the skills learnt through rugby – high performance under pressure, teamwork, collaboration – to life beyond the pitch. Reed is the first recipient of the Liddell Oxford Rugby Scholarship, established to assist players transitioning to life beyond sport whilst supporting the growth of Oxford rugby. The scholarship enables selected male and female players from New Zealand to pursue studies at Oxford University while representing OURFC on the pitch. Reed recalls first becoming aware of this scholarship in 2020 as an email circulated for New Zealand-based rugby players. As the 2023/24 season came to an end Reed began to look further into the scholarship and studying at Oxford as ‘it was set in stone he [I] was going to finish rugby, so he [I] made sure to ask the right questions about applying’. According to Reed Oxford ‘was always on the cards’ adding ‘I wanted to bring my family to a place where they felt comfortable and had opportunities to grow’; Reed moves to Oxford with his wife and two young daughters. Whilst he acknowledges that it will be him studying and playing here, Reed also emphasises the importance of securing growth opportunities and ‘things for his [my] family to do’ in a safe environment. Reflecting on his own studies, Reed welcomes the opportunity to learn from a diverse cohort and learning from a global perspective adding ‘I’m joining a place of history, Oriel [his college] celebrated its 700^th birthday last week whilst the New Zealand founding document is date 1840 – history here is a different ball game and I value the opportunities that gives me’. Reed began his Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) programme at the Säid Business School last week.

Last week also marked Reed’s first appearance for OURFC debuting in jersey 18 thirty minutes into the match against Leicester Tigers. ‘It was a big week for me’ remarked Reed, ‘first module week, intense time in class and debut for the club’. After finishing his classes at 6:30pm, Reed made to the club at 7pm with kick-off at 7:15pm. Reflecting on his preparation before the match, ‘it wasn’t ideal’ he said, ‘but I can rely on experience and know what I need’ to perform to his standards. After a scrappy first 40 minutes on the pitch, Reed was rewarded with a try at 72 minutes, but it was once more the team working together to achieve the highs; with a ‘great bunch of lads that work hard for each other and put their bodies on the line’ performance will come together. ‘I want to give back to young lads and give something to OURFC’ replied Reed after being asked about his aspirations at OURFC, adding ‘I’m competitive, I want to win and the fire still burns to win, I love winning.’

Throughout my talk with Reed one thing was clear, fire is at the heart of his career and relationship with rugby. In many ways his fire is his motivation, beginning with a small spark – watching Manu and Dixon at school – and growing stronger when fuelled by success and performance. As Reed moved through his career, he mentioned the oxygen of preseason training camps, particularly with Crusaders, as fuelling the burn of his future rugby prospects, stating the importance of not searching for the instant result but tending the warmth.  Reed’s fire has been carefully tended, providing energy and direction as he moved forward to achieve his goals; goals sustained and guided over time. We look forward to seeing Reed’s performances at OURFC and hopefully his rugby fire grows at Iffley Road.

Photo Credit: Steve Karpa