Birthday boy Oli Mathis explains how a Crusaders stint sharpened his game for Waikato

Oli Mathis marked his 21st birthday in fitting fashion, taking the field for Waikato’s Ranfurly Shield challenge against Northland at a sold-out Semenoff Stadium in Whangarei on Saturday, lining up at No.8 for the occasion.

The openside flanker is already one of the most dynamic players in the NPC. He has scored six tries in his last eight games and brings a defensive intensity to match his attacking flair — topping the tackle count against Canterbury with 18, and registering 19 against Counties Manukau earlier in the season. His outrageous chip-and-chase try against Wellington in the 2024 semi-final announced him to a wider audience, but it is the less glamorous side of his game that has developed most sharply.

“I felt like I really grew my tackle and jackal game at the Crusaders,” Mathis told RugbyPass. “I spent a lot of time doing one-on-one work with Matt Todd.”

That investment is showing in the numbers. Mathis, an All Blacks Sevens representative and product of the national and world championship-winning Hamilton Boys’ High School First XV, covers openside flanker and wing with equal ease, though he is clear about where he sees his future.

“My preference is to play flanker, influence the game more on defence and in the tight stuff. I’ll jump on the wing if I have to, but I feel like in the modern game you can find space anywhere.”

The Ranfurly Shield has provided some of the season’s most charged moments for Mathis. He played on the wing in Waikato’s 23-22 win over Taranaki on August 23, making six tackles, a turnover and two linebreaks in a contest settled by a Lima Sopoaga last-play penalty. The Shield win over Taranaki followed Waikato’s successful challenge last year, a result Mathis described as a “pinch me” moment.

“The intensity goes up one hundred per cent in Shield games,” he said. “We lost it to a bloody good Southland side. They played out of their skins. We’ll have to do the same to beat Northland. Credit to Northland — they’ve been building for a couple of years now. They’ve got a really strong team with an experienced nine-ten.”

Waikato sit in a congested NPC table after six rounds. They opened with back-to-back wins over Bay of Plenty (38-26) and Taranaki (38-32), before a narrow 32-31 loss in Invercargill to Southland. A 45-12 dismantling of Counties Manukau followed, but defeats to Otago (38-43) and Canterbury (14-36) have checked their momentum.

“Southland kicked a penalty in the last minute to beat us. For 65 minutes against Canterbury the game was close,” Mathis reflected. “I feel like we’ve got to be better at winning the small moments. Teams that win the small moments stack them into big moments.”

He pointed to the blend within the Waikato squad as a source of optimism. “Nathan Stephens is one of the most on-it young fellas — so keen to learn and be better next week. Then guys like Samipeni Finau add experience and calm. It’s an exciting mix.”