Nareki’s testicle trepidation
It’s very mixed memories which New Zealand sevens player Jona Nareki holds of Hamilton, going into this weekend’s World Series tournament in the city.
On his last visit to FMG Stadium Waikato, three months ago, Nareki was part of an Otago side which hoisted the Ranfurly Shield from Waikato. However, offsetting that highlight was the suffering – and it sure was suffering – of a ruptured testicle during the game.
The rapid wing entered Buck Shelford territory when he copped the scrotum split about an hour into the contest. It was a knee to the nether regions from Waikato opponent and ‘‘good friend’’ Quinn Tupaea, who Nareki hasn’t actually hit up about the incident.
‘‘I thought it was just a normal hit, but as the game went on it was still there, so I was like ‘nah, something’s wrong here’,’’ Nareki recalled to Stuff. ‘‘I just couldn’t run, I couldn’t stretch my back, I had to be hunched over. It was just real awkward pain. It takes a toll on your other parts, more on my kidneys, the doctor said.’’
But, in keeping with Shelford folklore, Nareki did indeed take further part in the game, if somewhat inadvertently – heading back out for the last couple of minutes when the team were short a player, not knowing how severe his affliction actually was until after fulltime.
Nareki hadn’t actually heard of the Shelford tale before his injury, but of course has now been told it several times.
As brutal as the physical pain was, he said the blow tested his mental skills just as much.
And instead of being able to hit the Log o’ Wood-lifting celebrations with his mates, it was straight into hospital, with an operation the following morning, before he was able to fly back with his team to Dunedin that afternoon, for a ginger six-week recovery period of ‘‘doing nothing’’, as he waited for the swelling to go down and stitches to heal.
He got the all-clear to run one week before the opening round of the World Series in Dubai (November 30 to December 1) but was eventually invalided out of that tournament with a knee injury, before being able to get back on the track in the second round of the series the following weekend in Cape Town.
Now it’s back to Hamilton. ‘‘There are some painful memories,’’ Nareki quipped. ‘‘I don’t know if I’m keen on looking at the field or not, just having that memory in the back of my head. Hopefully, I can just forget about it.
‘‘Being able to play in front of a home crowd is the one thing that I’m looking forward to this weekend.’’