When Campbell Robb first considered attending college in the USA, it was to pursue the javelin throw.
As a schoolboy in New Zealand, he ranked fifth nationally at the National Championships. He set a personal best of 53.25 in 2021.
The notion of joining a rich tapestry of Kiwi field athletes, competing at Olympic and Commonwealth Games, was very much at the front of his mind.
But as a talented athlete, Robb was also a talented young rugby player. He was in the Waikato Academy System and represented the Chiefs, his region's Super Rugby team, at the Under-20 level.
Then a thought crossed his mind: "I think I would rather play rugby for the rest of my life. That's my passion."
Now he is the second overall pick in the 2025 Major League Rugby College Draft and is preparing for a debut professional season with Anthem RC next year after graduating from Central Washington University.
"It was unreal," Robb told MLR. "I couldn't believe that the goal that I'd been striving for, for a couple of years, had come.
"Being picked early was very much a surprise. It was good to have a few of my friends around me.
"My family was also watching (from New Zealand) to help make the moment a little bit more special. It was an unreal moment."
Robb was perhaps unsurprisingly hooked on his country's number one sport from the moment he picked up a rugby ball.
As the years went by, he played with and against players that are now either All Blacks or Super Rugby regulars.
It was a presentation from a former New Zealand rower, whose name Robb can no longer remember, that inspired the notion of going to college in America.
So out went his CV, academic scores, and game tapes to plenty of universities. And along came CWU.
"They came back with the best offer, the best chance at trying to play at a really high level," Robb said.
"Todd Thornley (CWU's then head coach) was a New Zealand guy, knew what he was doing, and had all the right things to say. I kind of just took that and ran with it.
"Todd gave me all the right tools. I thought Ellensburg, Washington, was the place for me."
It is fair to say that going to CWU has been the making of Robb. He arrived in Washington on the day of his 19th birthday, looking to pursue his rugby in a completely new environment.
Looking back on his time in the Pacific Northwest, he counts beating BYU and Saint Mary's College of California on the road for the very first time among his best collegiate memories.
Even if those results are at the very top of a long list of his time in Washington, there were also achievements.
This year, Robb was named a D1A Collegiate Rugby All-American. He was named alongside fellow top-three draftees Tiai Vavao and this year's Rudy Scholz Award winner, Oscar Treacy.
In the summer, he toured with the USA Rugby U23 squad to South Africa, where his talents received international recognition for the first time.
"From a rugby standpoint, I have changed from a New Zealand rugby player into an American rugby player," Robb said.
"You know, there are some differences in the style of play. I've brought some of my skills across and tried to evolve those. Getting around the park and at the breakdown, I have developed a lot.
"Todd really harped on at us about the breakdown and having double efforts. Those are the areas in which I improved a lot."
Now USA qualified, Robb is brazen in his desire to represent the USA Eagles at the next two Rugby World Cups. The second of which is the home 2031 tournament.
To give himself the best possible chance of doing that, the 23-year-old will be a part of Anthem RC's 2026 MLR squad.
Much like the number one overall pick, UCLA's Will Sherman, the hooker has already had some exposure to his new head coach. Agustin Cavalieri was the man charged with leading the U23 squad on a development tour that included two games in South Africa.
Alongside a number of young MLR talent and the best that the collegiate game had to offer, he caught a first glimpse of what the future will have in store when he gets to North Carolina.
"He's really intentional," Robb said of his new head coach. "He's hard on you, but he has faith in your ability to go out and do a job.
'He knows what you are capable of and he's able to push you to achieve literally anything."
When Robb gets to Charlotte next year for preseason, he will be one of three draftees looking to make an impact at American Legion Memorial Stadium.
Along with number one overall pick Sherman and third round pick Lindenwood University prop Chad Tinney, the trio will want to be part of the team that registers the franchise's first-ever win.
Now with a long wait ahead of him before he arrives in the southeast, even now, his agenda is concise and to the point.
"My hope is to just get going again," Robb said. "Start ramping it up. Start looking at that first game. Make sure I am prepared as I can be. Know our game inside and out. Hit the ground running, essentially."
