Lions fan’s sleepover surprise
ALions fan ended up accidentally staying with rugby players Rieko and Akira Ioane after their mum welcomed the Englishman into their home.
At first, Alex Edwards did not realise who the young men were but it did not take long for him to click, Sandra Ioane told NZME.
Edwards’ accommodation fell through the night before the game against the Blues in Auckland he was planning on sleeping in his van in the Ponsonby Rugby Club carpark. He got chatting to Sandra Ioane at the club, and she offered him a mattress on the floor for a couple of nights.
But he didn’t realise her two sons were about to run out on the field for the Blues.
Sandra told NZME she was at the club having ‘‘a bit of a goss session’’ when Edwards turned up and got chatting.
‘‘He said ‘I’ve come to, ah, park up and sleep in my van’, you know, outside the carpark and we were sort of sitting around and I said, aw, this is no good, I think I’ll take him home so I rang my husband and said ‘I’m going to bring a guy home’ and he goes ‘Who?’ and I said, aw, he’s a Lions supporter.
‘‘So yeah I just took him home and introduced him. The boys were out at the time and about 10 minutes later the boys came home and I said these are my sons and he didn’t click.
‘‘And then we were sitting there having a cup of tea and he said, ‘Those boys I’ve seen them before’ and I said, ‘No, no mate’.’’
Edwards said he didn’t click even when he was introduced to Rieko and Akira.
‘‘When we got to their house, she introduced me to her husband Ed and the two lads came in and she said ‘This is Akira and Rieko.’ I still didn’t twig.
‘‘Ed goes: ‘You’ll see them run out tomorrow night.’ I was like ‘What do you mean? I thought they’d be running out for Ponsonby, Sandra’s team. Then Ed said: ‘They’re starting for the Blues, mate’.
He told The Telegraph that when he got to the house and was introduced to the brothers, he thought they were ‘‘big’’ but ‘‘didn’t twig who they were’’.
Edwards googled the players and remembered seeing them in the Olympics. ’’Then it kind of twigged. I felt a bit of a lemon.’’
It also turned out the Ioane brothers still share a room, although it now contains two kingsized beds.