Covid can’t crush sevens dreams
Covid-19 has put a Taranaki teen’s Olympic dreams on hold – but he has found a silver lining.
Right now, Jacob Rat um a it avukiKneep ken s should be in Tauranga training for the 2020 Olympics as part of the All Blacks Sevens team, which was named as the winner of the 2020 World Rugby Sevens Series on Tuesday.
Instead, he was home in Taranaki enjoying his mum Patty’s home cooking, playing club rugby alongside his two older brothers and preparing to make it big when a ‘‘new normal’’ hopefully arrives in 2021.
‘‘ I was a bit gutted ,’’ Rat um a it avukiKneep ken ss aid .‘‘ But personally, it’s a good thing – it gives me another year to get better.’’
The 18-year-old signed a two-year contact with the All Blacks Sevens latelast year and moved to Tauranga with plans to play in the world series then head to the 2020 Olympics in Japan.
But a pinky injury stopped him getting on the field in early games, and coronavirus has delayed the Olympics and may affect the next world series later in the year, too.
He spent lockdown in Tauranga, but was lucky enough to be living with team-mates and a personal trainer and working – with lockdown restrictions – to prepare for the season to come.
‘‘I don’t think we realised how serious it was.’’
Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens said the news of covid delaying the Olympics was hard to take because of how well the team had been doing.
That is why Tuesday’s announcement that the All Blacks Sevens and Black Ferns had won the world series with the points they had, before remaining tournaments were cancelled because of Covid-19, was great news for him.
Now that training for the Olympics is off, most players have decided to play club rugby, or like Rat um aiu ta vukiKneep kens, Mitre 10 Cup games.
And although it’s not what he expected, he’s loving being home and playing for Tukapa alongside his older brothers Isaac and Eli.
‘‘That was pretty cool to all be on the field at the same time,’’ he said. ‘‘You can’t help but laugh or smile.’’
He’s also been training with the
Taranaki Bulls to prepare for the Mitre 10 Cup this year, but super rugby isn’t on his radar – yet.
‘‘I haven’t thought past 2021,’’
‘‘I haven’t thought past 2021. My main goal right now is to get onto the world series – it really makes you want to train hard.’’
Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens
Ratumaitavuki-Kneepens said. ‘‘My main goal right now is to get onto the world series – it really makes you want to train hard.’’