By Matt Findlay

Having a father who skippered the Wallabies, won a World Cup and a Grand Slam and is arguably one of the greatest to pull on the gold jersey was inevitably going to cast a shadow over Christian Poidevin’s burgeoning career, even if only from an outsider’s perspective.

And like so many sons of guns before him Poidevin’s reaction to that was always going to be a huge factor in his success, or otherwise.

He could buy into the pressure, whether perceived or real, of following in his father Simon’s footsteps or he could just embrace it, almost shrug it off in a way and carve his own path through club rugby.

Based on the opening six rounds of the 2019 Shute Shield, the 20-year-old’s debut season, it’s tough to argue he’s not doing the latter.

That’s not entirely surprising either considering the young No.8 wasn’t genuinely considering chasing a career after finishing his time at Newington College.

“When I was coming out of school I was playing a pretty high level but I wasn’t really standing out,” Poidevin, who debuted in round one against Eastwood, said.

“So I never really thought I’d have much a career after that, I actually thought I’d just be playing socially but there’s been a lot of improvement in the last couple of years.

“My first [Shute Shield] game was a bit of a shock. The physicality increases dramatically but your body gets used to that, you just need to accept it and keep up with the level you’re at.

“I’m feeling pretty comfortable now and I think I’ve found my feet over the first few games.

“I zone out [any comparisons to his father] and I actually don’t get that much of it anyway.

“When I do, well, I’ve accepted that so I just have a chuckle, it never bothers me.”

He admits he still has plenty to learn but his performances have been strong throughout the opening month-and-a-half of the season.

But, even so, he’s still trying to stay as grounded as he possibly can and focus on the present.

He’s not looking past 2019, or even this weekend’s round seven clash with Manly for that matter.

“Potentially, sure, maybe there is a route (to the professional) level there if I’m good enough and if I ever get that chance I’ll try to take it, but I’m just focused on putting everything into first grade with Randwick at the moment,” he said.

“I’m still not really setting any goals other than giving it 100 per cent, putting my team first and seeing what happens from there.

“I feel like I’ve been playing some good footy, I’ll just need to keep that up and try and be consistent.”

Consistency is something his Randwick side, holistically, has lacked so far in 2019 and Poidevin had no hesitance in acknowledging that.

He did add two wins from six starts isn’t a true indication of the outfit’s performances so far, or at the very least the undeniable ability and potential within the group.

“I don’t think where we sit on the ladder reflects where we are as a team but there’s been a lot of shocks with every side, no one’s undefeated and no one’s untouchable at the moment,” he said.
“We’re showing good signs, we just need to translate that onto the field more consistently,”

“I definitely think we can beat Manly here on the weekend, get that win and get a roll on into the mid-season, I definitely think we can do some damage in this competition we just need to put it together.

“I feel like it’s coming.”

Randwick host the Marlins from 3pm on Saturday afternoon, at the picturesque Coogee Oval.