Ainsley makes his mum proud
It wasn’t seeing her son become a test rugby player that made Camille Ainsley cry.
No, as she wiped away the happy tears at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium on Saturday, it was the man Jermaine Ainsley had become, rather than the sportsman, that made her so proud.
The 23-year-old from Cromwell is a Wallaby now, coming off the bench in their 38-13 defeat to the All Blacks. He’s a prop, just like his dad Joe McDonnell, who won eight caps for New Zealand in a career that also included stints with the Highlanders and Hurricanes.
But the connection ends about there.
Following a fine first XV career at Otago Boys’ High School, Jermaine followed his mum to Perth and threw his lot in with Australian rugby. He soon progressed to the Western Force Super Rugby side and, when they folded, moved to Melbourne to play for the Rebels.
Camille, and the rest of the tightknit family went too, until the death back home of her brother Daryl. A real Central Otago identity, champion speedway racer and all round top man, Daryl Ainsley was very much a father figure to Jermaine.
Camille decided to return to Cromwell, safe in the knowledge that, having taken a boy to Perth, she was leaving a man behind in Melbourne.
‘‘That’s pretty much what I said to him. You are a divine young man now, that’s totally equipped to deal with life and know right from wrong and let integrity be your signpost for all things, no matter what,’’ Camille said yesterday.
Ainsley was a late addition to the Wallabies’ 23 for Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup clash, after reserve prop Taniela Tupou failed a fitness test. It was about 7pm on Friday before he was able to tell mum he was definitely playing and nothing was going to stop her from racing there to see it.
‘‘I literally got there an hour
and a half before the game and we found our place and sat down and it was amazing,’’ she said.
‘‘I was really emotional. You remember like yesterday, seeing this little fella running around on the field. From the moment Jermaine touched a rugby ball he loved it with a passion and I had all those memories coming through my mind.
‘‘All the different things he went through and was challenged by. The things he had to sacrifice, the knock backs.
‘‘He came over after the game and I was balling my eyes out. I’m still quite emotional now.’’
The fact that Saturday’s opponents were New Zealand added to things, too.
‘‘Obviously it was a very challenging time for him because he’s a Kiwi. But, at the same time, he followed his family to Australia and made a decision that he needed to be in the Australian sport environment and that’s made him a better person and player,’’ Camille said.
‘‘He had to start all over again in a country where nobody knew him. He was well known in the South Island and he had his dad’s name to follow as well.’’
And now Jermaine’s with the Wallabies in Auckland, waiting to hear if he’ll be retained in the 23 for Saturday’s return clash with New Zealand at Eden Park. There’ll be no prouder mum in the country, if he is.
‘‘We are 100 per cent planning to go, but Jermaine’s got to find out of he’s even stripping. If he strips, we’re there,’’ Camille said.