SHANE HURNDELL
Twelve months ago Daniel Kirkpatrick was kicking himself ... with his left foot.
A cracked bone on the Napier Boys' High School and Hawke's Bay under-18 rugby first five-eighth's kicking and right foot ruined his hopes of helping the New Zealand Secondary Schools side record a fourth consecutive win
against their Aussie counterparts.
Fortunately for Kirkpatrick, and the national side, he was eligible for the team this season and more than made up for his absence last year with an outstanding display in yesterday's 18-8 win in Auckland. He scored a try and kicked two penalties and a conversion.
"That game was definitely the highlight of my career. I was lucky to be in a good side with good coaches and playing behind a strong pack," he said.
"I was pretty nervous leading up to the game and couldn't sleep. And with the buildup, the national anthem and the haka ... it was quite emotional," Kirkpatrick said.
"Once the match got underway it went pretty quick," he said. Kirkpatrick played the full game as did fellow Napier Boys' High School 17-year-old Zac Guildford who started at fullback. Kelt Capital Magpies fullback and Lindisfarne College star Israel Dagg was ruled out with concussion, suffered when elbowed in the jaw during his last game with the Magpies.
Kirkpatrick, whose grandfather is a first cousin of former All Black Ian Kirkpatrick, will be attending Victoria University in Wellington next year and hopes to make the step up to the New Zealand under-19 team. Ironically, another player with strong All Black connections, openside flanker Luke Braid, the son of former All Black lock Gary Braid and brother of former All Black flanker Daniel Braid, scored the New Zealanders' other try in the match played at Auckland Grammar School.
Braid and Kirkpatrick did a top defensive job on the Aussie first five-eighth. Guildford also shone with his defensive work. Guildford and Kirkpatrick hope niggly injuries suffered yesterday, nothing as bad as Kirkpatrick's foot injury last year, won't rule them out of the Hawke's Bay under-18 side's away Tremain-Nathan Cup clash against Auckland on Saturday.
With their win, New Zealand capped a successful domestic tour in which they also recorded wins over a Manawatu Selection and Waikato Harlequins.
