The Guinness Six Nation may be done and dusted for another year. However, Kiwi pundits are still waxing lyrical about a player on the cusp of the Scottish team in 2023. That player is Cole Forbes.
So what about the former Glasgow warrior has ignited such enthusiasm and curiosity among Kiwi enthusiasts? In Round 5 of the competition, Forbes replaced Blues’ fullback Zarn Sullivan, who went down with a severe leg injury, just before the half-time siren sounded. Within a few minutes of coming on, the 25-year-old punched a gap through the midfield and made a slick delayed pass to Aj Lam, who raced through to score a momentum-changing try. Forbes gained 40 metres in the game and beat seven defenders, the most by any Blues player—no mean feat when the Blues backline was loaded with All Blacks wingers Mark Tele’a and Caleb Clarke.
For the Blues, this match in Auckland wasn’t just any game. It was against their fiercest rivals, the Crusaders, a team they hadn’t beaten in Eden Park since 2014—the last time their captain Patrick Tuipulotu, who was playing his 100th Blues game, beat them. There was no better place for Forbes to make a statement performance.
Wearing their heritage jersey, the Blues went on to take a historic 26-6 victory and end a seven-match losing streak against the visitors at home. Since then, Forbes has been the toast of New Zealand rugby. From Jeff Wilson and John Kirwan at Sky Sport NZ to Ross Karl, Bryn Hall and James Parsons on the Aotearoa Rugby Pod, all have been raving about the former Glasgow Warrior, a ‘hidden gem’ as described by Kirwan on the Breakdown.
It wasn’t the first time he has impressed this season. Forbes has played all five rounds for the Blues this season. He may not have started any game or scored a try. Still, the quality of his tactical kicking, speed, and natural attack instincts have been instrumental in the Blues’ record of four wins out of five. Despite losing to the Hurricanes in round 3, Forbes still made 33 metres and beat two defenders.
But who is Cole Forbes? Hailing from Pukekohe, Forbes showcased his talent early on, earning recognition with the New Zealand squad for the 2019 World Rugby Under-20 Championship alongside future All Black Tupou Vaa’i and Super Rugby Aotearoa winners Cullen Grace and Leicester Fainga’anuku.
Following his domestic success, Forbes embarked on a transformative journey to Scotland, where he joined the Glasgow Warriors in February 2021 on an initial 3-month trial. Forbes seized the opportunity with both hands, and the Glasgow coaching team offered him a multi-year contract, much to his shock.
Forbes showed his surprise in an interview with The Scotsman in 2021, “It is a huge surprise,” he said. “I came over here on a three-month trial thinking I was going to be leaving at the end of May. I was just trying to make a difference in training, catch the coach’s eye, and I must have shone a lot better than I thought.”
During his time with the Warriors, Forbes emerged as a dynamic and versatile player, significantly contributing to the team’s campaigns. He scored 11 tries out of 38 appearances. He played a vital role in the club’s memorable 2022/23 campaign, where they went unbeaten at home in domestic and European competitions in the regular season and secured a top-four finish in the BKT United Rugby Championship. Reflecting on his time in Scotland in a recent interview with Jonty Dine from RNZ, New Zealand’s public broadcaster, Forbes remarked, “I enjoyed every moment of it, and obviously, it helped my rugby career. I was keen to do it. I got plenty of games on and learnt a lot. You just back yourself and go and do it.”
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Forbes’ tenure with the Warriors also presented him with an opportunity on the international stage. Forbes was qualified to play for Scotland through his grandfather from Aberdeen. His impressive performances with the Warriors caught the attention of Scottish selectors, earning him a call-up to the national squad for the summer internationals in June 2021.
Although Forbes never earned a cap for Scotland, his inclusion in the national squad, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Scotland superstars Finn Russell and Duhan van der Merwe, underscored his potential and versatility as a player. Speaking about his international prospects in the RNZ interview, Forbes explained, “I was lucky enough to make a few squads and few training camps but never got capped which was sort of a blessing, being able to come back here and not be an international player.”
In 2023, Forbes decided to return home to family and friends in New Zealand and play for his home club of Bay of Plenty in the Bunnings NPC, New Zealand’s provincial union competition. Hoping to play alongside his brother Grady, he scored two tries in his four appearances before linking up with former Scotland coach Vern Cotter at the Blues.
With the news that Zarn Sullivan will spend up to eight weeks on the sidelines, Forbes looks set for more game time to make his mark on Super Rugby Pacific rugby. Surrounded by the likes of Tele’a and Clarke and the newly re-signed All-Black Rieko Ioane, Forbes will have no better opportunity to showcase all the improvements in his game. He has always had an electric pace and good footwork but these gifts are now balanced with a solid tactical knowledge of when to attack and when to kick, developed by playing overseas.
On international eligibility for New Zealand or Scotland, Forbes seems focused on his current commitments with the Blues. “Right now, my priority is giving my all for the Blues,” Forbes affirmed. “International rugby is always a possibility in the future, but my focus is on performing at my best for the team.”
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