Timaru’s Atonio prepares to take on the ABs

For Timaru-born Uini Atonio, it’s still sinking in that he’ll be going up against the All Blacks in New Zealand over the next few weeks.

The tighthead prop left New Zealand after a season with Counties Manukau in 2011, to sign up with French club La Rochelle – and he hasn’t looked back.

Atonio, 28, got to play against the All Blacks in Paris in 2016, when France lost 24-19. That was special, but it will mean a lot more to play against them in front of family and friends in New Zealand.

‘‘It hasn’t really sunk in yet, as we get closer to the game I’ll probably get more nervous,’’ Atonio said.

‘‘I know it’s going to be exciting, but I just hope we’re not too overawed by the atmosphere of the game and the supporters.

‘‘I just hope we get there and do the job.’’

Growing up in South Canterbury, the lives of Atonio and his family had a drastic transformation in 1999, when the world was in fear of the Y2K computer bug.

It seems preposterous now, but back then there were genuine fears that computers around the world would stop working the moment the new millennium began. Aeroplanes would drop out of the sky, power plants would break down and humanity itself would be at risk.

Of course, nothing like this actually happened, but Atonio says his family didn’t want to take any risks.

‘‘We all left for Samoa because of the Y2K at the end of 1999,’’ Atonio says. ‘‘They said the world was going to end then, so we went to Samoa.

‘‘But when we came back, we went to Auckland. We stayed with family for a while and then we got our own place.’’

He went to Wesley College, then eventually played for the Steelers, but never got that close to playing for New Zealand.

‘‘Of course, especially when you start here in New Zealand, everyone wants to be an All Black,’’ he said.

‘‘I tried my best to get in and didn’t get a chance.

‘‘I had my last camp in the under 20s with the New Zealand team and got the cut at the end, so I thought I might as well make a move after my Counties season.

‘‘If you would have asked me 10 years ago who I wanted to play for, I would have said Samoa or New Zealand. Now I’ve got 30 tests with the French team.’’

The Counties assistant coach/ player at the time was Tana Umaga, who had recently returned after coaching in France and he told Atonio a move to La Rochelle would be great for him.

‘‘He was an awesome coach, really good with the players on and off the field,’’ Atonio said.

‘‘When I asked him about leaving to go to La Rochelle, he said go for it, because there were a lot of opportunities there.

‘‘La Rochelle were still in Pro D2 back then and it was a bit of a risk, but I only have to look at where I am today.’’

At the French team’s media session in Auckland yesterday, Atonio seamlessly jumped from speaking English to French, but after seven years living in western France that’s not a surprise.

‘‘We weren’t allowed to speak English in the French team, we had to learn French, just to get through,’’ he said. ‘‘My wife is French, my son was born in France and you just have to get into that French culture.’’