Sure, he enjoyed his rugby, but the move was more about passing his university papers and enjoying the campus life.
Now, though, look where he has ended up.
In a sort of dream Southern man combination, he plays for Otago in the winter months and works for Speight's in the downtime.
Hibbard said he never had any real rugby ambition when he headed south after he finished schooling at Christ's College in Christchurch.
"I came down here in '04 and had no real desire to play rugby to a higher level. I had more of a university focus," he said.
But he has progressed through the playing ranks and, after finishing a commerce degree in marketing and management, he has found himself in the Otago front row, alongside the experienced Kees Meeuws.
The duo will pack down on either side of the scrum tonight as Otago goes searching for its first win when it plays North Harbour in Albany on the North Shore.
The front row area has been a focus of the ITM Cup in the opening weeks, but not for wholly positive resons.
The scrum in the Otago-Wellington match in Dunedin last Saturday was particularly ugly.
Hibbard said it was not something he tended to dwell on.
"The refs just seem to be making up their mind right on the spot. Scrums are still a contestable part of the game and it is really an area that teams still spend a lot of time on," he said.
"It is still critical to the game. We've had some good ones and some not so good ones but as a front row we have been working reasonably hard."
He has been on the tighthead side, a position he has always played, and tonight will mark North Harbour captain Michael Reid.
Hibbard (25) is in his second year with Otago and was picked in the Highlanders wider training group this season, but was forced to miss most of it because of a hernia.
"I don't know how it happened but I had it operated on in February and probably I stopped feeling it in about July."
He used the downtime to carry out his other job, in casual sales for Speight's.
He said Otago was still in good spirits despite a poor start to the competition, which has left it dead last.
"The boys are still feeling all right. The confidence is still there. The five-day turnaround probably helps in some ways. It sharpens the focus and makes sure we can get up there and play them."
Eliminating errors and making sure the side played for the whole 80 minutes would be the focus tonight, he said.
Hibbard will be part of a battle up front which will go a long way toward deciding the outcome of this match.
The sides appear to be very well matched. Neither side seems to be able to develop a culture of winning, and Otago, if it wants to get some wins on the board, has to do the basics well.
That starts with ball security, which was appalling last week.
Halfback Sean Romans and first five-eighth Glenn Dickson must be more accurate and free up the outsides, though showers predicted for Auckland today may affect ball handling.
OTAGO v NORTH HARBOUR
- North Harbour Stadium, tonight, 7.35pm
Referee: Bryce Lawrence (Bay of Plenty)
TAB odds: Otago $2.35, North Harbour $1.55
Otago: Chris Small, Joe Hill, Ben Smith, Josh Tatupu, Fetu'u Vainikolo, Glenn Dickson, Sean Romans, Adam Thomson, Alando Soakai (captain), Paul Grant, Hayden Triggs, Hoani Matenga, Sam Hibbard, Liam Coltman, Kees Meeuws.
Reserves: Peter Mirrielees, Halani Aulika, Seko Kalou, Brad Cameron, Johnny Legg, Andrew Parata, Paula Kinikinilau.
North Harbour: Jack McPhee, Ken Pisi, Jack Tarrant, Luke McAlister, Alipate Fatafehi, Ben Botica, Chris Smylie, Richard Mayhew, Malakai Ravulo, Matt Luamanu, Filo Paulo, James King, Ben Afeaki, James Parsons, Michael Reid (captain).
Reserves: Mike Mayhew, Taione Vea, William Whetton, Tom Chamberlain, Nalu Tuigamala, Brendon Watt, Nafi Tuitavake.
