RUGBY RIVALS RACING TO FATHERHOOD
Crusaders player Richie Mo’unga currently has the edge on his All Black No 10 rival, Beauden Barrett on the footy field and he’s also soon to edge out Barrett to the firsttime daddy stakes by a month.
Last weekend after the Crusaders beat the Blues in Christchurch, Mo’unga’s wife, Sophie, had her baby shower for their girl, who is due in August. Sophie looked radiant in a purple knit dress and enjoyed her time with family and girlfriends.
The couple married last December in the Memorial Chapel at St Andrew’s College in Christchurch, Mo’unga’s alma mater. This week the parents-to-be enjoyed their final holiday of freedom, having a “babymoon” in Queenstown.
“Bye Week means last hoorah with my beautiful wife before our flatmate moves in,” Mo’unga posted on Instagram on Wednesday.
“Can’t wait for her arrival but enjoying this time with my lady before our lives change for the better.”
Two weeks ago, the Barretts also had a babymoon in Queenstown. Barrett’s wife, Hannah, is due to give birth in September, when they, too, will welcome a baby girl.
Hannah is renowned for her celebration parties, and if her engagement and hen’s parties are anything to go by, her baby shower will be a treat. They have a busy time ahead as they are due to fly out to Japan two months after the birth.
When asked by a follower on Instagram if she was nervous about moving to Japan with a new baby, Hannah replied: “Not too nervous, trying to be relaxed about it. She will be about 2/2.5 months when we move and we are only going for six months, so I’m going to approach it like a long holiday. BB and I are both excited about heading back there. I absolutely love the culture, food and people and I think it’s going to be really fun.”
Her husband will have his sabbatical with Japanese club Suntory Sungoliath in Tokyo, on a contract reportedly worth $1.5 million.