Mo’unga wears battle scars as badges of pride
The scars on Richie Mo’unga’s hands are permanent memories of the nastier moments of his 2017 rugby year.
It was during the Crusaders’ 17-13 victory over the Brumbies in the first round of Super Rugby that Mo’unga broke a bone in his left hand, an injury that forced the first five-eighth into the operating theatre. That’s how the first scar appeared.
His other limb suffered a similar fate just minutes after Mo’unga replaced Lima Sopoaga during his debut for the All Blacks against a French XV in Lyon on November 14.
‘‘I broke my right hand in the last game of last year [in Lyon], and I broke this one [the right hand] in the first game of the year. There is a bit of symmetry, yeah,’’ the playmaker said as he inspected his matching scars.
After returning to the All Blacks’ changing shed it was confirmed the 23 year old would require surgery when he returned to Christchurch, and go through another period of rehabilitation.
There was a real possibility Mo’unga’s first game for the All Blacks would be brief, given he suffered the injury in what he terms his ‘‘first action’’ of the game.
‘‘There was a mid-field scrum, and the first clean out I did – that is when I did it. Doc [All Blacks doctor Tony Page] asked me if I
wanted to come off, but I had just got on. So I didn’t really want to.
‘‘For me, it was enjoyable and a time I don’t want to forget; so I wanted to treasure it and make sure I was out there for the rest of the game.’’
Given that he had sat on the bench for 53 minutes waiting for the call to replace Sopoaga, and had probably dreamed of representing his country since he was little, Mo’unga was understandably reluctant to wave the white flag.
So he stayed, kicked a conversion and was able to celebrate with his fellow All Blacks dirt trackers after they gutsed out a 28-23 in front of almost 60,000 rowdy French men and women.
Ignoring the pain, he said, wasn’t so difficult:
‘‘It was adrenaline. And I probably didn’t realise until three or four minutes after that that it was broken. I wasn’t really thinking about it.’’
Even without the scars as per- manent reminders of his rugby adventures, Mo’unga won’t forget what happened last year in a hurry.
Having spent seven weeks rehabilitating his broken hand after the mishap against the Brumbies he proved his value to the Crusaders, ending the campaign with the memorable 25-17 win over the Lions in Johannesburg in the final.
Later in the season Mo’unga starred in Canterbury’s victory over Tasman in the Mitre 10 Cup final, appeared for the Barbarians against the All Blacks in London and then joined his fellow New Zealanders in France.
Since his debut for the Crusaders in 2016, Mo’unga hasn’t been short of advice. The messages have been that he has to take responsibility in terms of leading teams.
Having to stand up and boss senior men around is getting easier, he says. Standing up in front of a group of older heads, whether they be All Blacks or established Super Rugby players, and telling them what they must do can be intimidating for young players.
‘‘It is something that is getting easier,’’ he acknowledged.
Crusaders coach Scott Robertson has named 10 All Blacks in his starting side to face the Chiefs in Christchurch tomorrow night. Injuries to All Blacks loosehead props Joe Moody and Tim Perry has resulted in Chris King, 36, being added to the bench.