Mum’s tears flow as son makes ABs
Dalton Papalii says his mum broke down in tears when he was named in the All Blacks yesterday.
The 21-year-old Auckland flanker is the only uncapped player who made it into the All Blacks’ 32 for their end of season tour.
It was revealed by Stuff on Sunday that Papalii had made the team after yet another outstanding game for Auckland in their win against North Harbour, but it wasn’t until it was confirmed at 1pm yesterday that he truly believed he was in.
As is the case when anyone makes it into the All Blacks, it’s a special occasion for not only the player but also the family, and that’s no different for Papalii.
‘‘They were in awe, mum was crying and dad was super proud,’’ Papalii said.
‘‘They were just shocked, the same as me, I didn’t know what to do.’’
Papalii said he was in a meeting during the day and during it realised the All Blacks were about to be named, so turned on the radio.
‘‘I was talking to my agent,’’ he said. ‘‘We were in his room and we’d sorted out a meeting a week ago, just to talk about general stuff.
‘‘I didn’t realise they named the squad at 1pm and we’d set our meeting for then. So I sat back and listened to the team being named and my name came up.
‘‘I saw none of it coming. I saw on social media a few talks here and there, but nothing from anyone official.’’
Papalii comes into the team for Sam Cane, who will be out for several months with a broken neck and while that may have hastened his callup to the All Blacks, it seemed inevitable that the day would come for him.
He had an outstanding campaign for Auckland in the Mitre 10 Cup and his selection is tinged with a bit of sadness that he won’t be there if the province goes on to win the title.
‘‘It’s pretty hard,’’ he said. ‘‘Starting off with the Auckland Mitre 10 Cup team here and with the way we’re going, you sort of want to be a part of it until the end, but it’s not every day you get called up for the All Blacks.
‘‘So I’m grateful, but sad at the same time because I could be leaving the boys behind in a big game [semifinal] against Wellington, who are a good team.’’
While Papalii is a confident and polite young chap, he knows what a jump up it’s going to be to play for the All Blacks in some of the biggest stadiums in the world over the next few weeks and he admits it is daunting to think about that.
‘‘Thinking of the level that the
All Blacks play at, you’re always going to question yourself, whether you can live up to that level,’’ he said. ‘‘But this year I gained a lot of experience through playing with the Blues.
‘‘Even though it wasn’t the best season, playing against the Waratahs and players like Michael Hooper and Israel Folau, it dawns on yourself that you can play against them.
‘‘So I gained my confidence from the Blues and getting my confidence there, but at the same time, this is the All Blacks, it’s the best of the best there.’’
Papalii may be making big strides in rugby, but as a youngster it was the 13-man code that excited him the most as that was the one followed by his family.
‘‘I was a leaguie, I started off in league,’’ he said. ‘‘My whole family was leaguies, but I went up the grades and then got the opportunity to go to St Kents.
‘‘I went through the grades there and then signed with Auckland and here I am.’’
And here he is.