France, beware: Buck's back in test mode

Almost 20 years after he was controversially ditched as All Blacks rugby captain, Wayne "Buck" Shelford will represent New Zealand in a test match - answering the call of thousands of fans to "bring back Buck".
The 22-test No8 is returning on to the field not in the All Black jersey, but as part of the world's first international ki-o-rahi tour.
Ki-o-rahi is a traditional, full-contact ball game  experiencing a revival across New Zealand, but especially in Northland.  Remarkably, the game is also played in Europe - a legacy of the Maori Battalion, whose soldiers taught it to  French and Italian counterparts in World War II.
Shelford will play in the national team in tests scheduled for September and October 2010 in France.
That his return as a New Zealand rep. should be against France seems fitting. Shelford's All Black test debut was a 19-7 victory over France at Toulouse in 1986; his second test was the infamous "Battle of Nantes", in which a French boot tore open his scrotum.  His insistence on continuing to play sealed the Shelford legend.
He also played in the All Black side that defeated France 29-9 in the  first World Cup final in 1987.
Shelford is in Britain at the Babcock Commonwealth Cup, a contest between the New Zealand, Australian and British navy rugby teams. He could not be contacted  there yesterday, but his wife, Jo, confirmed  they would be joining next year's ki-o-rahi tour.
They first saw the game played at Ngati Porou Pa Wars, Tolaga Bay, in January this year.
"He thought it would make a great pre-season training game - and when he heard it was a traditional game, he was fascinated."
The idea of getting Shelford involved came from Kerikeri PE teacher Harko Brown who,  with Otago's Ihi Heke, coaches the national men's side.
"It was a cheeky request ... I'd heard he went ga-ga over the game and how good it was for Maori, so I got his phone number and gave him a buzz," Brown said.
The men met and clicked when Shelford was at Waitangi to deliver a speech. They discussed the tour and a few weeks later the rugby giant phoned to say he would be coming.
"He told me he didn't want to be a passenger. He wants to play," Brown said.
The men's and women's teams will leave New Zealand on September 15.
 They kick off with a touch ki-o-rahi tournament in London,  visits Poland, Germany and Holland, then play a provincial match, a tournament and two tests in France.
Brown said Shelford was still greatly admired in Europe.
"The French are stoked. He's massive over there, even after all these years."
It was a tribute to the man that he could still play sport at international level at the age of 51.
 Having the legendary All Black  on the tour would be a huge boost for ki-o-rahi, Brown said.
"It'll be massive for traditional games, massive for Maori identity and empowerment."
New Zealand will be represented on the tour by the Northland-based national champions, Ki-o-Rahi Akotanga Iho, with two guest players in both the men's and women's teams from elsewhere in the country. The men's team will be co-captained by 19-year-old Matt White, of Kerikeri.
The other ki-o-rahi strongholds are East Cape, Manawatu and Hawke's Bay, but even Otago has 10 teams.
Shelford took over as All Blacks captain after the first World Cup.
After he was dumped and the All Blacks' 17-test winning streak came to an end, fans started appearing at games with banners saying "Bring Back Buck" - a call still heard two decades  later.
Although he has been studying te reo only since 2006, his interest in  Maoritanga is nothing new. It was Shelford who first made the All Blacks learn the haka properly after decades of lack-lustre performances.
Hi iwi affiliations include Ngapuhi through his father. He has roots in Poroti and the Mangakahia valley, west of Whangarei.