‘It’s surreal, bro’: Du’Plessis Kirifi’s full-circle journey into the All Blacks

Tuesday, 24 June 2025

It must have been meant to be for Du’Plessis Kirifi.

While the venue for Monday’s All Blacks squad naming − the Coastal Rugby Club in the rural Taranaki town of Rahotu − held special meaning for the Barrett family and New Zealand Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson, who had all played there, there was also one particular new cap who found himself in rather familiar territory.

One of five debutants named in Scott Robertson’s 33-man squad for next month’s series against France, Hurricanes co-captain Kirifi was still pinching himself about the uncanny script for him and his maiden call-up for the national side.

Born in New Plymouth, and schooled at Francis Douglas Memorial College, where he played alongside Jordie Barrett in the 1st XV, this was a return to his roots for the 28-year-old openside flanker, who has been the epitome of perseverance to get to finally get within touching distance of test footy.

A member of the Tukapa club, half an hour’s drive back into town, Kirifi had spent many junior footy days out on these Coastal fields, while his mother, Donna, father, Polaiu’amea (who was a Taranaki rugby development officer for 16 years up to 2023), and brother, Isaiah, still live locally after Kirifi had departed briefly to Hamilton, and then to Wellington, where he got his NPC shot in 2017.

Now here he was, chatting to The Post after running around with local young players, and adorned in All Blacks kit, as he signed a multitude of autographs on jerseys of wide-eyed bare-footed kids that must have had him rewinding his life some 20 years.

“It’s surreal, bro,” Kirifi said. “Flying into New Plymouth this morning, and driving through my childhood town, and seeing mum and dad here, it’s really cool to be back to where it started, I’m really grateful.

“It’s always humbling, you know. No matter where you go in your career, all of us started somewhere, so to be back here, especially where I played a lot of my childhood rugby, is a pretty cool moment. It’s a nice reminder of where you come from as a player and the people you represent.”

It was all a bit more hyped scenes than when Kirifi received the big phone call from Robertson on Sunday afternoon.

Just getting set to turn on the TV and watch his partner, Northern Stars netballer Mila Reuelu-Buchanan, play in Christchurch, Kirifi had no-one, well almost no-one, home to share in the good news.

“The dog was stoked,” he quipped, of his purebred British Bulldog named Mani, who has just turned three.

“I was up bouncing around, he thought we were off for a walk, I had to cool him down.”

It wasn’t long for the special news to be shared, though, with a phone call to some proud parents quickly following.

“To be honest, I couldn’t make any sense of what dad was saying, he went inaudible for a minute,” Kirifi laughed.

“But, nah, they were just stoked, plenty of tears, and were just extremely happy for me.”

Celebrations consisted of a mere coffee out on Sunday morning, with Kirifi mindful “the call’s one thing but obviously there’s work to be done” ahead of jetting back to Wellington on Monday evening to prepare for camp in Auckland from Wednesday.

There had been “plenty of chats” with the All Blacks’ selectors during the standout Super Rugby season, but Kirifi had been wary of reading too much into them.

“I think the focus for me was just to continue to play well and be reliable and consistent and hopefully paint the right pictures for them as well as being effective for the Hurricanes,” he said.

“I’m happy with my season and proud of the work that I did.”

Understated, rather, after, in what was his seventh campaign with the Canes, Kirifi stepped it up big-time, named as one of four co-captains (having also skippered the All Blacks XV last year) and leading from the front in a big way, ending the season second for tackles (220) and also turnovers won (23), as he became a master of pilfering breakdown ball.

That was after earlier this season opting to turn down what he had noted was a “juicy” overseas offer to instead chase the black-jersey dream, some five years after he first got a call-up to the squad.

“I think it’s the ultimate story of someone who wants to be an All Black,” All Blacks forwards coach Jason Ryan said. “He has hung in there, it hasn’t been easy for him.”

“I think with the leadership roles that he’s had with Wellington and the Hurricanes in the last couple of years, we’ve seen the best of him. And he’s grown as a man and we believe he’s really ready now.”