Mel Puckett making the most of Super Rugby opportunity.

You can take the girl out of Mid Canterbury, but you’ll never take Mid Canterbury out of the girl.

That’s the philosophy Mel Puckett is living by as she embraces life in the northern stretches of New Zealand while plying her trade for the Blues in the inaugural season of Super Rugby Aupiki.

And while she might now wear the multiple shades of blue out on the paddock, Puckett who made her debut for the side on Tuesday night, is keeping the red and black of Canterbury as close to her heart as possible.

Knowing that it’s where she came from and what helped make her into the player she is.

You’ll see the red and black mouthguard still in action. A nod towards her home region and there used to be a red and black water bottle too, but it was replaced ahead of Tuesday night’s match against Matatu in Hamilton.

“I’d been using this red and black drink bottle, taking it everywhere with me,” Mel said.

“But earlier this week, the coaches stood up in front of the team that I’d been using it for too long now and gave me a brand new one, which of course was blue.

“I don’t think they knew about the mouthguard though,” she laughed.

Puckett’s journey to Auckland had been an interesting one. Wanting to challenge herself in a new environment where she’d be looked upon as a leader and forcing her way into a new team alongside players she’d never played with before was all part of the appeal.

Initially the role with the Blues saw her travelling from her Christchurch base north for the latter half of the week but as Covid has run rampant through both versions of Super Rugby, it’s been the North Island full time as part of the team bubble.

“It’s actually been great to be up here with the girls every step of the way, we’re based in Taupo, and it’s been an incredible experience just to be a part of it all and I feel like I’ve learnt a lot already and made some good personal gains.”

The nippy little halfback with the crispest delivery off the ground in the competition never expected to slot straight into the mix, but on Tuesday night ran out in the starting line up and stayed there for the entirety of the match.

And by Thursday morning, she was feeling every second of it all.

“The body has been a bit sore the last couple of days that’s for sure, I can’t remember when I last played a full game of rugby like that.

“And it was just so much more intense too, there’s some heavy-hitters out there and they made you feel it.

“But we’ve been lucky this week, with another game on Sunday, they’ve taken it a little easy on us so far since Tuesday night, they know that there’s no point in drilling us out on the paddock in training, so it’s all been about the recovery.”

With Covid causing havoc on the early stages of the competition, getting out and playing on Tuesday night was a big relief for everyone involved. It’d been a long process just to get to that point and while she soaked up all the emotions involved with a debut in a new look competition, Puckett said she was proud to be a part of it all.

“You know, it wasn’t even about winning on Tuesday, it was about getting out on the paddock and doing our bit for the women’s game here in New Zealand. The coverage and support we have received has been amazing, it’s greater than any of us probably thought it would be.”

The 22-year-old said that without the support of her friends and family, making the decision to relocate and play in another region wouldn’t have been possible and she’s especially proud of that given her families strong ties to Canterbury and Mid Canterbury.

“Anyone who knows my family will know just how Mid Canterbury proud we all are, but they all backed my decision and gave me the confidence to break away from the normal and give it real go.

“And I’ve got to admit, when I put that Blues jersey on the other night, it did feel like it fit me better than the Canterbury one.”