BRYCE HEEM

Position
Wing, midfield back

Blues debut
2021 v Crusaders

Blues caps
40

Blues points
40

Born
18/01/89

Height
193cm

Weight
103kg

Province
Auckland

Bryce Heem began his senior rugby career with his home province of Auckland and made three appearances during the 2010 ITM Cup season. He then moved north to Whangarei to link up with Northland Taniwha where he spent two seasons with the Cambridge Blues and scored five tries in 15 appearances. Heem then went down south to join the Tasman Mako in 2012 where he firmly established himself as a regular starter for the men from Nelson during their impressive 2013 and 2014 ITM Cup campaigns and this form saw him handed a Super Rugby contract with the Chiefs ahead of the 2015 Super Rugby season.

On 8 April 2015, it was announced Heem would move to England to join Worcester Warriors in the Aviva Premiership from the 2015-16 season. Heem marked his debut with a try in a victory over Newcastle Falcons in November 2015.

On 18 November 2017, Heem scored a hat-trick of tries in Worcester’s first win of the 2017-18 English Premiership season. The win against Northampton Saints (30-15) saw Worcester lifted from bottom of the table. He went on to play four seasons for Worcester Warriors, scoring 32 tries in 70 games.

On 27 February 2019, French giants Toulon announced that they had signed Heem on a two-year deal, starting from the 2019-20 Top 14 season. However, on 25 January 2021, the club granted him an early release from his contract to return to New Zealand for family reasons. He played 26 games and scored six tries for Toulon.

Heem joined the Blues for the remainder of the 2021 Super Rugby season, debuting in Round Four of Super Rugby Aotearoa against the Crusaders at Eden Park.

Following the departure of Caleb Clarke to the New Zealand Olympics team, Heem claimed the vacant wing position and set to work posting impressive performances, eating metres for fun and scoring tries, including a hat-trick against the Waratahs.

Heem continued to be a versatile and calming influence in the Blues backline in 2023, his experience and big body proving hard to handle for defences across the competition. He played a large chuck of his games at second-five and centre, his ability to bend the line culminating in Heem receiving the Back of the Year award for the 2023 season. Now in the back half of his career, Bryce provides a knowledgeable sounding board for younger players and a trusted voice for coaches. He will no doubt play an important role for the Blues in the 2024 season.