The North Otago midfielder is based in Cromwell, from where he travels to Kurow during the club season and Oamaru when he is on duty for the Old Golds in the Heartland Championship.
Punctuality is generally not an issue as he is the manager at Truss Tech and can excuse himself early if he needs to get on the road for training.
But there was a twist ahead of the televised game against Horowhenua-Kapiti recently when cameras showed Todd hurriedly coming out of the Oamaru grandstand and taking a seat on the bench — unusual, as he had been listed to start.
It turned out he had just arrived back in New Zealand after a whistlestop work trip to the United States, where he and a couple of company directors had visited Houston and Columbus, Ohio, before (well, that was the plan) arriving home in plenty of time for the rugby game.
"We’d ducked away over there to have a look at a bit of an exhibition with a few machines and stuff," Todd said.
"It was all looking good. We were coming back on time, and I was all set to start the game.
"I’d gone for a couple of sneaky runs in the States so I was feeling pretty good, and I’d had a bit of a snooze on the plane.
"But when we got back, I think it was the opening of caravan season or something. There were caravans left, right and centre on the road, which made the journey from the airport a bit longer."
Todd (29) enjoyed seeing a television clip later in the day that showed his team-mates walking out of the dressing room just as he wandered past in the background to get changed.
Commitment to travel has been a given for the strapping back since he accepted an offer from North Otago coach Jason Forrest to mix his club season — starting with Cromwell and finishing with Kurow — so he could play for the Old Golds.
"I was at a bit of a stalemate with my rugby when Forrie gave me the call and asked if I was interested, so I thought, why not?
"A few mates knew people around the Kurow region and they spoke highly of the club, so I gave it a go and never looked back.
"It’s a great club with a great community and an awesome culture, and that’s what made me go back this year."
Todd won back-to-back Citizens Shields with Kurow, and earned New Zealand Heartland XV selection with North Otago, so it was a solid decision.
He and partner Maggie are expecting a baby boy on November 14 and he is not sure his nomadic rugby life will extend beyond this year.
For now, beating West Coast in Oamaru today is the priority, as the Old Golds seek to secure a place in the Meads Cup against a winless team that could still present a challenge.
"I’d expect that hard, physical, direct running. They’ve got some good individuals that we will need to keep on top of, and hopefully we can keep the scoreboard ticking over.
It feels like any team could be a dark horse at the moment, you know ... . It’s all up the wazoo at the moment. But that’s cool. It keeps everyone on their toes."
North Otago has three wins and three losses.
At their best, the Old Golds have looked invincible, but they have also struggled for consistency.
"It’s been a bit of a weird season, a bit hit or miss, but the high-scoring games have shown the calibre and the firepower we have in the squad.
"We said from the start we wanted to be in the running for the Meads Cup, so that’s still our main goal.
"If we win these next two games, I think we can achieve that. Then we just need to go and try to rattle some cages in a semifinal."
North Otago has made a flurry of changes, partly due to a niggly injury list.
Levi Emery moves back to first five, regular halfback Mataitini Feke moves to second five, Inoke Naufahu starts at fullback, and Jake Matthews starts behind the scrum.
There are six changes in the pack, where Mat Duff makes his first start of the season and Josh Reid, Seta Koroitamana and Manulua Taiti are all missing.
Heartland Championship
The teams
North Otago: Inoke Naufahu, Ben McCarthy, Hayden Todd, Mataitini Feke, Mone Samate, Levi Emery, Jake Matthews, Junior Fakatoufifita, Mat Duff, Ratu Logavatu, Brodie Hume, Angus Foster, Rohan Wingham, Hayden Tisdall (c), Sione Palaa.
Reserves: Sam Sturgess, Kelepi Funaki, Jake Greenslade, Paea Fifita, Sebastian van der Sluis, Tyron Davies, Josh Phipps, Ben Paton.
West Coast: Joseph Scott, Logan Ross, Shayne Anderson, Elliot Smith (c), Jacob Lowe, Ben Wyness, Jarrod Ferguson, Nathan Evans, Josh Tomlinson, Andrew MacRae, Tayne Foster, Thomas Dwyer, Daniel Foord, Trent Lawn, Jesse MacRae. Reserves:
Troy Tauwhare, Daniel Davis, Greg Crampton, Arnie Gibbens, Jamie Garland, Sean McClure, Kinsley Henry, Logan Winter.
