Son of legendary All Black playmaker signs first pro contract

Although he retired back in 2010, the name Carlos Spencer still conjures images of playmaking genius to this day. Now, much interest is surrounding the legendary All Black’s son, Payton, who has just penned his first professional contract.

18 year-old Payton has shown that his rugby genes are close to those of his father as his fantastic schoolboy performances for Hamilton Boys’ High have heralded knocks on his door from a number of franchises eager to nurture his talent.

Speaking on NZME’s Between Two Beers podcast, Carlos said:

“This year he’s been contacted by a few unions… he made the decision rugby is his future and where he wants to be.

“He’s just signed a contract with New Zealand Sevens, Auckland and Auckland Blues. We’re very proud of him. He’s got a great opportunity now the door is open but the hard work starts and the rest is up to him now.”

Peyton faced a difficult decision as his cricketing ability has already seen him feature for the Black Caps (as a substitute fielder), however, the call of rugby was ultimately too much to resist for the youngster.

“As parents we just let him do his own thing,” Carlos continued. 

"We’ve stood back and let him make his own decisions. He was approached from the Chiefs, the Highlanders and Crusaders and the way the Crusaders have been going, I wouldn’t say I was leaning toward him going there, but I wouldn’t have been sad had he gone there; and knowing the history I have with the Crusaders,” he laughed.

“But this is his decision and he decided he was going to be happy in Auckland. That was purely his choice on his own. We’re just there to support him, we’re not there to make the decisions for him.

“When it comes to the skillset, he was just one of those kids you know straight away he had something. The natural ability was there.

“We try and instill the discipline in him… living in South Africa for seven-and-a-half years, I thought it was the best place for our kids to go to school. In terms of respect and discipline. That place was amazing. He learned a lot there about discipline and respect. We instill a lot of that at home as well.”