Munster test another step towards the top for impressive Du’Plessis Kirifi

Du'Plessis Kirifi of the Hurricanes attempts to evade Andrew Kellaway of the Rebels. Pic: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

Let’s the get the obvious out of the way first. As in, how a kid of Samoan descent from New Plymouth on New Zealand’s North Island was named in honour of a famous Springbok 17 years after the latter had last worn the famous green and gold.

Here’s Du’Plessis Kirifi on how his father Jack got the idea.

“So dad, back in the glory days, they used to play a World club competition, I guess, and he played for Ponsonby which is a club in Auckland. He spent some time with Morné Du Plessis. I wouldn’t say they were best mates or anything like that, he just loved the name.

“He met mum and said ‘we’re going to name our first son Du Plessis’. Mum was a little ‘oh right, yeah?’ So I guess it's unique and it comes from a special place. I met Morné when we used to play the Super Rugby teams in South Africa so that was a cool moment for me.

“I was able to send the photo back to Dad and he was stoked with that one.” 

Stoked. It’s a word Kirifi has had reason to use quite a bit this last few weeks. Saturday night will see him captain an All Blacks XVs team against Munster in Thomond Park. Go back seven days and he was leading Wellington to an NPC final defeat of Bay of Plenty.

That was his second NPC title in just three season and the Hurricanes flanker was incredible in a game that went to extra-time with 12 carries and 27 tackles amounting to a momentous shift in a game won on a 23-20 scoreline.

“Aw, look, being a loose forward in New Zealand rugby, those stats aren’t too different to what you want to see from all the boys in that position in any game,” said the 27-year old who is a former classmate and teammate of Leinster-bound Jordie Barrett in school.

“I just have to play my part. The body was feeling it, and I’m not sure two days on a plane was the best recovery, but you just gotta make it work, turn up in Limerick and hit the ground running.” 

He isn’t the only man involved against Munster who played in that NPC decider. All told, six of the tourists went at it at Sky Stadium in Wellington. There won’t be much difficulty in raising themselves again now.

Games against Munster this weekend and Georgia after it in Montpellier amount to a rare shop window at international level for players who, mostly, have little or no experience of Test-level rugby. The onus is on them to make the most of that.

Kirifi is one of those thought to be on the cusp of a cap having earned a first call-up back in 2020 without making it onto the field. At 27, his window is closing and talk has surfaced back home of a potential switch to Europe if he doesn’t get through it soon.

Captaining in Limerick just shows how close he must be and half-a-dozen of their number in Ireland now have come back to the XVs group having spent time with Scott Robertson’s collective in Japan for their opening tour appointment.

“I guess you could say it feels close, in a sense, being the closest team to the All Blacks and we see it every week lately with boys around who have been named in the All Blacks and come down from there for whatever reason.

“Other boys have played with them consistently. You see those switches being made quite often so it does feel close in a sense but being in this team alone is an awesome achievement and something the boys should be really proud of.

“But I know this is not the final destination, especially for some of the young boys in our team. We all dream of being an All Black at some stage. And, as we have seen in the last few months, that can happen quite quickly.”