Though a little nervous former Whitianga local Jacob Skeen can't wait to hit the field against Fiji when he represents the Māori All Blacks this Saturday.

The 2.01m lock who currently plays for the University of Waikato learned he'd made the 26-man Māori All Blacks squad for 2015 from whānau and friends when it was announced last week.

Former Whitianga local Jacob Skeen has been selected for the 26-man Māori All Blacks squad for 2015. Photo: UoW/Facebook

The two-week campaign saw the team meet in Auckland over the weekend for a training camp ahead of them flying to Fiji for their first game on Saturday, July 11.

The team will then return to Aotearoa to take on the New Zealand Barbarians at Eden Park in Auckland the following Saturday, July 18.

Jacob was in a meeting with his club coaches discussing his future when his phone suddenly lit up with messages from family and friends telling him of the good news.

'I'm so happy to have made the team," says Jacob. 'It's always been something I wanted to be a part of but I wasn't expecting to get in this year.”

This will be the highest level of rugby Jacob's ever played and he admits to being a little nervous: 'There'll always be a few nerves before the game but I can't wait to get stuck in.”

Originally from Whitianga, Jacob moved to Hamilton in 2009 and is of Ngāpuhi descent.

He's played rugby since the age of four and the former Hamilton Boys' High School student was awarded a University of Waikato Rugby Development Scholarship.

Jacob is currently in his third year of a Bachelor of Management Studies majoring in marketing and strategic management.

One aspect of his involvement with the squad that Jacob's looking forward to is re-connecting with his Māori heritage.

'My Māori heritage comes from my mother's side and is with the Ngāpuhi tribe up north,” he explains. 'Everyone gets really tight during these campaigns and there's a lot of emphasis on the Māori culture.”

Following the campaign with the Māori All Blacks Jacob will play his second season for Waikato in the ITM Cup and hopes to be selected for Super Rugby.

Jacob Skeen is a 2.01m lock who currently plays club rugby for the University of Waikato, plus plays for Waikato in the ITM Cup. Photo: UoW/Facebook