He's played alongside All Blacks star Aaron Cruden, had a stint in Spain and crossed the Tasman to have a crack for the Canberra Vikings in the inaugural National Rugby Championship.
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Five-eighth Isaac Thompson has taken a long and windy path in the past nine years on the way to chasing his dream of a professional Super Rugby contract.
Thompson is one of the contingent of stand-out performers from the John I Dent Cup who are in the Vikings' NRC squad alongside a host of Brumbies players.
The 27-year-old hails from Palmerston North in New Zealand's North Island and represented the New Zealand Schoolboys in 2005.
He moved to halfback to accommodate Cruden, who will play a key role for the All Blacks in their quest for a world-record 18th straight Test win against the Wallabies at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night.
''He was the reason I played nine for schoolboys, because he was 10 and he was head-hunted for higher honours back then,'' Thompson said.
''I always was a 10 until that one year.
''We actually played at Viking Park against the Australian school side, but I was sick the whole tour pretty much, and had pretty bad tonsillitis.''
Thompson progressed to the Manawatu side in the ITM Cup, but after four seasons stuck behind Cruden, he decided to head to Barcelona in 2009.
He had a break the following year before going back for a second stint in 2011.
Thompson returned to Manawatu in 2012, but a serious shoulder injury suffered in club competition ended his chances of playing in the ITM Cup.
He moved to Brisbane last year in what would turn out to be an inspired decision, playing under now-Vikings NRC coach Dan McKellar at Souths.
''Last year was almost a write-off, I had just come back from surgery and it was sort of just a dummy run,'' Thompson said.
''My shoulder was a bit iffy still and I was still a bit shy when it came to the contact.
''It's a lot better now and I knew if I came down here I was going to have a better off-season.''
Thompson's selection in the ACT XV team at the start of the year was followed by a strong season for the premiership-winning Tuggeranong Vikings.
He is with the Canberra Vikings during their three-day camp at Batemans Bay, which started on Friday.
Thompson, who works as a labourer, hopes the inaugural NRC could help him catch the attention of Super Rugby teams.
''It's really exciting times for Australian rugby, but especially for guys like myself that have been picked up from the club scene,'' he said.
''A couple of games are televised and there will be a couple of coaches on the lookout for players.''
The Vikings begin their NRC campaign when they host the Perth Spirit at Viking Park on August 23.
