Family man Todd copes

For Matt Todd, the father of three young children, being away from home at the World Cup can be summed up in one word – tough.

The 31-year-old has been away from his family for more than a month now as he and his All Blacks team-mates prepare for their quarterfinal showdown with Ireland tomorrow.

His three children; aged seven, four and one, are back in New Zealand with Todd’s wife, Anna.

The family have been in contact regularly throughout the campaign, but Todd admits that doesn’t make it any easier.

‘‘Even just Facetiming them and seeing them on a screen you can see the changes and the development that they have in that time, so I guess it is tough if Matt Todd you’re away for milestones like their first steps or stuff like that.

‘‘Like my daughter’s got her birthday next week, so you’re away for stuff like that, [it] can be tough.’’

Professional athletes are often away from home for extended periods of time, but World Cups take that to the extreme for teams that go as far as the final.

Todd says a person’s strength is tested further by the pressure of the tournament itself.

‘‘No matter how tough it is here, you’re not going to get any sympathy from back home, that’s for sure,’’ he says with a chuckle.

‘‘I think it’s just awareness, especially around dinner time and it’s chaos in the background, there’s screaming . . . you’ve just got to be as supportive and understanding as you can be and know that it’s tough for them.

‘‘It’s tough when you are over here and they are struggling. It’s even harder because you’re over