For a guy who dreamt of becoming nothing more than a Bay of Plenty Steamer, the sky's the limit it seems for Nathan Harris, who this year took his first steps as the next generation of All Black.

September 28, 2014, marks a special date in the Harris household with the 22-year-old capping a meteoric rise, running out as an All Black against Argentina in Buenos Aries and in the process eclipsing a conversation he had with parents Quentin and Barbara upon leaving high school.

Chiefs and All Black hooker Nathan Harris enjoying some downtime in Papamoa. Photo: Bruce Barnard.

'I actually said to my parents I would be happy if I was a Steamer. So that was my main aspiration out of school.

'Obviously, people from smaller towns don't tend to make it or having other distractions like working and focusing on that because rugby doesn't pay the bills.”

Rewind 12 months and this was the case with the Te Puke product just called into the Chiefs Super Rugby squad for a fortnight following Hika Elliot's season ending neck injury – without the slightest clue his rugby career was set to skyrocket.

The rest is hearsay with the Te Puke rake going on to usurp incumbents Rhys Marshall and Mahonri Schwalger, playing 410 minutes in 12 games for the Chiefs, gaining three Test caps with the All Blacks and a test try.

Yet he still can't really explain how it has all happened.

'[This year] 2014 was a dream, to be honest I still can't put it down to anything.”

And despite having his season cruelly ended five minutes into the historic match against the United States with a serious ankle injury, he remains upbeat his international career isn't over before it starts.

Shortly after scoring his first test try Harris' medial ligaments in his ankle snapped, along with the lateral ligaments stretched and a bit of cartilage floating around forcing him to have surgery.

Consigned to a moonboot for the next week, while the setback is allowing him to look back on 2014 along he's also looking forward to 2015.

'When I sat down on the way home from USA I wrote out all my goals before I landed in Tauranga.

'That was to get back running, have a successful campaign with the Chiefs, and become an All Black again.

'Those were my three goals but now it's making sure my ankle is right, and just returning to playing. I'm still young so I would rather get this [his rehabilitation] right.”

With the Chiefs boasting an array of hooking riches in Elliott, Marshall and latest addition Quentin MacDonald, the job of Harris reaching the All Blacks let alone a starting Super Rugby spot is a journey requiring lots of hard work.

And the lure of a World Cup spot is also lurking in the distance.

'I don't even think there is a word that would describe it [making the World Cup] really. I'm just getting goosebumps thinking about it.

'It would be absolutely breathtaking, it would be an awesome experience having my family over there supporting me.

'That's the most important thing to me; they have done a lot for me so for them to be over there watching while I'm playing, it would be pretty unreal for me.”