Stuntman makes splash with face-plant

The stunt performed by Ethen Roberts backfired yesterday. Photo / Chris Gorman

A stunt featuring former All Blacks Jeff Wilson and Josh Kronfeld backfired in Auckland yesterday, sending a BMX rider face-first into the water.

The pair, who together weigh 208kg, formed the first half of a water-based inflatable trampoline jump at Princes Wharf.

The stunt, which marked the opening of ticket sales for the Nitro Circus' summer tour of New Zealand, required the duo to leap from a cherry picker.

Ethen Roberts, a Nitro Circus BMX rider, made up the second component of the stunt.

He used the force of Kronfeld and Wilson's hefty landing to propel him into the air and complete four and a half somersaults. Roberts, who is from the US, had been aiming for six.

His face-first landing left him with a suspected perforated eardrum and mild concussion.

"He was checked out by St John and they let him go about his daily activities," a spokeswoman said.

But the injury meant he would be unable to try the jump again, she added.

The Nitro Circus crew, a group of action sports stars, is performing in Wellington, Hamilton, Auckland, Dunedin and Christchurch over January and February.

Kiwi riders Levi Sherwood, Nick Franklin and Jed Mildon will star alongside stuntman and motorsports competitor Travis Pastrana in the shows.