Stepping into the shoes that were filled by the 2007 Rugby World Cup-bound All Black halfback Andrew Ellis, Tyson Keats earned his call-up on the back of a consistent season for New Brighton in the CBS Canterbury Cup. The nuggety halfback made his debut for the province in 2006 prior to playing a leading hand in Canterbury B’s charge to that year's national second XV championship final. He had earlier played 10 matches for Nelson Bays in 2003, scoring a hat-trick in an Air New Zealand NPC second division semi-final against Counties Manukau, prior to returning to Christchurch at the end of that year to focus on his exterior plasturing business. Keats is an old boy of Shirley Boys’ High School. He played a big part in Canterbury's 2008 Air New Zealand Cup final victory over Wellington after Ellis withdrew with a knee injury in the week leading up to the match. Keats played his first game for the Crusaders when coming on as a substitute against the Hurricanes in 2009.