With rugby sidelined by Covid-19 there’s been little speculation over which players might bolt into the All Blacks, but one man who seems destined to don the black jersey is Hurricanes flanker Du’Plessis Kirifi.
The 23-year-old of Samoan heritage was born and raised in New Plymouth and went to the same school as the Barrett brothers – Francis Douglas Memorial College.
“Kirifi is Samoan, Dad was born in Samoa in the village of Iva on Savai’i and mum is Pakeha so I’m an afakasi boy, no South African. Dad just liked the name and he was good mates with Morne Du’Plessis (former Springbok) from from his playing days, so he decided to name me after him. It’s pretty unique but I’ve grown to love it.”
Like the Barrett brothers, Kirifi has some big wraps on him. Those external expectations don’t faze him, however, with his own internal goals equally as ambitious.
“When I started playing rugby all I wanted to do was be an All Black. That’s my goal, whether other people expect me to do it or not.”
Whether he’ll get a chance to push for higher honours this year remains to be seen, with both Super Rugby and test matches on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Kirifi concedes it’s been difficult to maintain the level of training required of a pro player during the lockdown, but he’s been getting creative in his Newtown flat.
“Make do with what you’ve got, it’s pretty limited haha. I haven’t been able to work out at a gym or train with teammates, so we just have to adjust and use what we have at home. Lots of road running, so fitness isn’t an issue. Figuring out how to do workouts at home without weights is the challenge.”
“I’ve got a 20 litre emergency water container haha, so I can use that for kettle bell things and stuff like that. I’ve got an old tyre with a mag lying around and I can use that for overhead presses. Just trying to keep that weight up and just eating heaps bro,” he says with a laugh.
With just one other flatmate at home but working, Kirifi has largely been alone during the lockdown.
He misses his friends, family and teammates and believes maintaining those relationships during isolation is important.
“That’s the challenge for everyone is not being able to connect with people you’re close with.
“I do miss training and joking around with the boys, but technology really helps. I’m still talking to my family and we still have Friday beers with the boys over Zoom, which is a bit of a laugh, it’s not that much different than catching up in person.”
