There is a youthful exuberance to this Auckland side, and Marcel Renata is the embodiment of that reality.

The 23-year-old tighthead prop will suit up for his blazer game in Wednesday night’s clash against old foes Waikato. His Auckland career has been a learning curve and is tracking upwards as his scrummaging prowess improves to match his sterling work around the field.

“Our trip to Japan helped us heaps for our scrummaging. It’s coming together,” Renata says. “We are looking for steady ball on our ball and look to disrupt them on theirs. Waikato will be good at set-piece with a big front-row, so they’ll be a test for us. I’m looking forward to it to see where we are as a team and me personally.”

His Bachelor of Business Studies at AUT are on hold as he hooks into Mitre 10 Cup action, but he is not far from graduation and remains eligible for the New Zealand Universities, one of three national teams – along with the Maori All Blacks and NZ Barbarians Provincial XV – for whom he has appeared.

His rugby diet prior to the Mitre 10 Cup consisted of a hard pre-season month with the Blues, two high profile games in June against the Lions (for the Barbarians and Maori) and some lower intensity but highly enjoyable outings for his University club, with whom he won a second Gallaher Shield last month.

“I quite enjoyed the group of boys we went to play with in the Barbarians. There was heaps of belief there. No one talked about losing during the week. The Maori didn’t go as well as we would have liked, but the Lions got better and better. But it was an awesome experience and cool to lock horns with the likes of Joe Marler.

“It was a bonus winning the Gallaher. We did it in 2014 and we had a few old boys, like the Helleur brothers, who came back and helped out. We (Auckland) left for Japan on the Monday morning. It was a short turnaround.”

Back in his King’s College days, he was a loosehead prop or hooker, but has now fully transitioned into the No 3 jersey after competing with the Lay brothers, Jordan and James, for game time at University.

“I thought I’d pull the trigger and switch sides so I could still play with my mates. I had to play for reserves for a bit, then went to prems, and got pumped for a year and a bit, but it was all about time in the saddle, learning my craft and now I’m here. I want to push myself. I ended up playing a full 80 against Taranaki in the last game. That growth was probably the highlight for me.”

Last season he started in six of his nine games for Auckland, running out in the No 3 jersey in the last five.

“Marcel is going well. He had a tough year in 2016 and played a lot of footy. We all know tightheads are not made overnight. He’s working hard and Moony (Geoff Moon) is doing a really good job with him,” says Auckland coach Nick White, himself well versed in the dark arts of front-row play. “It’s an opportunity for Marce to really step up and anchor that scrum.”

Renata is enjoying the team culture, which is evident in the tight defence the team has shown in the opening two games.

“That Northland game defined that. We defended 20+ phases on our tryline at the end of the first half. There is definitely a lot of ticker in the team. We just have to be a bit more efficient in using our resources and show a bit more chemistry on attack. It’s coming.”

The blazer game has snuck up on Renata. He thought it was going to be on Sunday in the Battle of Bridge clash with North Harbour.

“When I was younger, I never thought I would end up playing footy, let along playing for Auckland and getting my blazer. I’m quite proud of it. It is testament to my past coaches and people who have helped me. Luke Mealamu helped me heaps through juniors, when I was with the Colts.” - Campbell Burnes