MumMcKenzie to fly flag
Damian McKenzie’s Bledisloe Cup call up has caught his parents off guard.
The 22-year-old has been named to start at fullback in the All Blacks team to play Australia in Sydney tomorrow night. A selection which is regarded by many as a surprise - his family included.
Damian’s father Brent and his grandfather had already arranged to travel north to New Plymouth tomorrow in what they thought would be a brotherly showdown between Damian and older brother Marty.
Marty plays for Taranaki, while Damian is contracted with Waikato for New Zealand’s provincial competition.
With Taranaki and Waikato squaring-off in week one of the Mitre 10 Cup on Saturday, Brent initially viewed it as a good way to see both in action.
That quickly changed when McKenzie was firstly named in the All Blacks squad and then news filtered through that he would start against Australia.
‘‘We probably had a bit more than 24 hours notice [from the team naming], and to be fair the young fella was quite surprised by it,’’ Brent said.
‘‘He had no real inkling so when he got named it was great.’’
Brent has decided to stick with the planned ’Naki trip to watch his older son in action, even if Marty himself suggested he probably should be in Sydney rather than New Plymouth on Saturday.
‘‘Marty rung us and said we should be going over the road, but it’s good to be able to support Marty as well.
‘‘He hasn’t had much of a crack this year so it’s nice to see him get some game time.’’
Despite this, there will still be a McKenzie presence supporting from the stands in Sydney on Saturday night.
When they were made aware of Damian’s All Black start they quickly sorted flights for mum Moana to be there to fly the family flag.
‘‘Mo is going over to support him so we will have some representation there, and we’ll have both bases covered,’’ Brent said.
‘‘I"ve got a mate [in New Plymouth] who tells me we can watch the test at his place so hopefully the ’Naki get the result on Saturday and then we can watch the All Blacks get a good result.’’
Brent and Moana have racked up many miles while proudly watch their sons go about their work on the field, and it is something they love doing.
The long-serving eastern Southland dairy farmers are now based in Wanaka in Central Otago but spend a lot of time travelling to the North Island for rugby games.
‘‘We do the Queenstown to Auckland flight quite regularly, it’s nice. We are lucky enough to be able to follow them around.’’
Brent himself was a useful fullback during his playing days representing both Southland and Bay of Plenty in the 1980s. He played for New Zealand junior, emerging players, and divisional teams.
As for Damian’s selection for the All Blacks at fullback?
‘‘He’s had a good season so far so I think he deserves a crack."