Tour tribute to French student
But the Jaguares, who boast hundreds of Argentine test caps, were steady and held up the home side’s maul to claim a 25-22 win.
The Rebels still receive a point for a close loss – as opposed to two points for a draw – but in a tight Australian conference the result could cost them dearly.
Genia’s injury could be catastrophic to their season as they fly out to South Africa for a twogame tour this week in desperate need of wins.
Genia was instrumental on 48 minutes as he broke the line and passed inside towards Billy Meakes. The pass was tipped by a defender but Dane Haylett-Petty caught it and touched it down for try. But Genia appeared to hurt his hamstring on the play and was replaced by Michael Ruru. Just after the restart the visitors caught the Rebels napping with a break down their right side which winger Sebastian Cancelliere finished to cut the lead to 19-13.
The Age French exchange student Peyo Crus was just 17 when he died as the car he was a passenger in skidded off Oteha Valley Road, and crashed into a tree in the early hours of the morning on Auckland’s North Shore last January.
It was, said his Long Bay College headmaster, Russell Brooke, a ‘‘horrible teenage car accident’’.
Peyo’s father, Olivier, was determined his vibrant only child, and what headmaster Brooke called Peyo’s ‘‘amazing love of life’’, would not be easily forgotten. Olivier quickly found a kindred spirit in Peyo’s coach in the Long Bay First XV, Craig Thomason.
At Peyo’s funeral in his home town of Chaumont, 270km southeast of Paris, Olivier said: ‘‘Life is intense, maybe short. You need to make the most of it, live life to the fullest, love, play rugby, play in everyday life, communicate, learn, at school, from yourselves, from others. We must not be sad.’’
Now, in a unique response to Olivier Crus’ message, 19 young men, who played rugby with, or knew Peyo when he was at Long Bay College, are flying to France next Sunday as a collective, coached by Thomason, to play a game against a local Chaumont team.
The Long Bay side will bring a silver Peyo Cup with them, and a ‘‘Play Like Peyo’’ rugby ball signed by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
They’ll wear a special jersey, with Maori motifs, designed by the team’s assistant coach, Craig’s son Ben Thomason, that depict golden stairs for Peyo’s ascent to heaven.
Before the game they’ll perform a haka, written for the game by Ben, whose Maori heritage comes from his maternal grandfather, 1950s All Black Keith Davis.
The first stop on a seven-day visit to France for the team is Paris. They’ll visit the National Assembly, where they may meet French President Emmanuel Macron, be hosted for a lunch at Dan Carter’s current club, Racing Metro 92, and be guests at a reception at the New Zealand Embassy.
On Friday, April 27, they travel to Chaumont, and visit Peyo’s grave. Next day, after a mayoral welcome, they play the game at Chaumont Stadium. Even if Long Bay win, Peyo’s Cup will stay in France.
Every detail of what’s happening in France, says Craig, has been arranged by Olivier Crus. ‘‘He’s been tireless. ‘Live Like Peyo’ has taken on a life of its own over there. There are T-shirts in Chaumont and Paris with the slogan on them, being worn not just by rugby teams, but by sides playing everything from hockey to netball.’’
Because the Long Bay side is not a school team, or a club side, the whole trip almost stalled over group injury insurance. The North Harbour union and New Zealand Rugby said they’d like to help, but rules prevented them insuring what was basically a private group of players.
The French national union, the FFR, came to the rescue, and agreed to cover the New Zealanders.
After Olivier sent him a photograph of President Macron signing a rugby ball, a friend said to Craig Thomason: ‘‘Why don’t you ask our Prime Minister to do the same?’’
‘‘I found her email address on Facebook,’’ says Craig, ‘‘and sent her an email telling the story, suggesting it’d be very nice if she could sign one too.
‘‘The very next day I got a phone call and this voice says, ‘Good morning, it’s Jacinda Ardern here’. I was nearly going to say, ‘Aw, bugger off,’ as you would. It had to be a joke.
‘‘But then I thought, ‘Hang on, I haven’t told anybody what I did’. Then she said she’d been reading my little story on the game, and she’d be happy to sign the ball. I asked if we could get some pictures of the signing, and she said that was no problem. So now we have the leaders of both countries involved, and Olivier was rapt.’’
At Long Bay College a tree was planted in Peyo’s memory in 2017, and before home First XV games the side stands before it for a silent prayer.
‘‘Peyo was large as life, and very well liked,’’ says Craig. ‘‘This trip is the best tribute we can pay him.’’