By MARK CASHMAN

Tim Anstee’s rugby pathway to the Shute Shield hasn’t been what you would call traditional but he’s loving life in the Eastwood pack and the immediate feedback you get from playing from Saturday to Saturday.

The 23-year-old Anstee has spent the past four years in the national sevens squad under first Andy Friend and then Tim Walsh, representing his country on the HSBC World Sevens Series and clocking up thousands of frequent flyer points.

He should have been working his way back from the Tokyo Olympics (his first) as I write this but Covid-19 has opened up a number of options for the 194cm, 103kg back-rower and lock.