In saying that, they did not give a thought to him being on the All Blacks’ radar until this year. It has been an exciting time for both Peter Skelt and Flynn Thomas, his coach and captain respectively while at Southland Boys’ High School. De Groot moved to the school from Gore High School to finish his education. "When he was at school he worked very hard to develop his ball skills, his skill set, his run, catch, pass. Thomas first played with de Groot in 2010 in the Southland under-65kg junior team.

Source: Otago Daily Times July 05, 2021 16:30 UTC