World of Boxing and Rugby Union
Winger
3. John Kirwan
Kirwan was plucked him straight from the Marist third grade side, his rare talent having been spotted by two former All Blacks Paul Little and Eric Boggs.
Kirwan performed with astonishing maturity, not only in his Auckland debut but in the entire 1983 season for Auckland and the New Zealand Colts. At nearly 1.90m and strongly built he was unusually tall for a wing in those years and coupled with that was his considerable pace and determination.
But for concerns over his age he might well have gone on the 1983 All Black tour of Scotland and England. It was, however, only a matter of time before an All Black jersey came his way and after an impressive trial he made his test debut against France at Christchurch's Lancaster Park in 1984.
The 19-year-old was soon to learn that knockbacks and disappointments were a constant companion of even the best international sportsmen. His 1984 season ended in disappointment and frustration when he was ruled out of the All Blacks' tour of Australia with a serious shoulder injury in only the second match.
Even though he was to enjoy a long playing career, injuries continued to plague Kirwan. He was always prone to hamstring problems because of strains imposed on his back by his rapid growth in his
teenage years. Between the ages of 15 and 16 he shot up an incredible 30cms. And the worst of his injuries came on the 1989 tour of Wales and Ireland when he suffered a ruptured achilles tendon.
But from 1985 through to 1992, apart from when he was injured, Kirwan was pretty well an automatic All Black selection, with his golden years being the three seasons between 1986 and 1988.
In subsequent years age, injuries and his frequent off-seasons spent playing overseas, especially in Italy, removed some of his edge, even if he remained a world-class wing who, in 1992, became the first All Black back to reach the 50-test milestone. At his peak, in the seasons between 1986 and 1988, Kirwan was magnificent and irresistible, exceeding in those years even his great Australian rival, David Campese. In 1987 he was a star of the All Blacks' World Cup, his length of the field run for a try against Italy being an enduring image from that tournament. He also scored a crucial try despite being in agony with a hamstring injury in the final against France. His greatest year, certainly in terms of tryscoring, was in 1988 when in five tests, against Wales and Australia, he scored a tally of 10 tries.
If not quite so dominant, Kirwan remained a world-class player for the rest of his career and when he finished with the All Blacks in 1994 his 63 tests had brought him 35 tries, which was then the New Zealand record. In his entire first class career, which also ended in 1994, he had finished with 199 tries, only being denied 200 because his swansong match for New Zealand Barbarians was not granted official status.
Even in his latter years Kirwan was capable of brilliance.
Kirwan had no sooner retired from rugby in 1994 than he was lured back, partly, it might be suspected, from the publicity it generated, to play for the Warriors in their first two seasons in Australian league in 1995-96. Kirwan was past his best but still played with competence and professionalism.
He was mighty beyond any doubt, ranking with Jonah Lomu and Jeff Wilson as the greatest wings of All Black rugby; and as such of world rugby, any team would welcome him with open arms, 'Brilliant' is not overstating how good this player was.
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