Uini Atonio of France makes a break in a Rugby World Cup pool match against Romania. Photo / Getty
Uini Atonio of France makes a break in a Rugby World Cup pool match against Romania. Photo / Getty
Timaru might not seem like the starting point for most French rugby internationals.
It has a thriving rugby community - South Canterbury's just finished top of the Heartland Championship round-robin, thank you very much. But it doesn't conjure up connections with Les Bleus.
French prop Uini Atonio can testify aboutthat path though. He could even play the All Blacks this weekend in their World Cup quarter-final in Cardiff, having traversed Auckland's talent factory of Wesley College, play for Counties-Manukau, and ply his tight-head trade in France.
He "started playing for a little club in Timaru called Harlequins and I think my family wanted to move and see different things so we moved to Auckland in 2000."
"After the Y2K when everyone was going to die. So we thought, yeah might as well just all go die in Auckland," Atonio joked with his broad grin.
"I don't know if you've tried it, but it's hard. Either you do one or the other."
A trip to a Hong Kong tens tournament five years ago dramatically altered his career path. After playing a game, he was approached by an opposing player who happened to be a coach of a top 14 side and asked if he would be interested in going to France.
"I asked Counties, that was when [coach] Tana [Umaga] had just come back from France as well and he was like "take the opportunity" so I had to leave my job and leave the rugby in New Zealand which was a shame but I came over for financial reasons."
He's in no doubt he made the right choice, having pulled on the French jersey 10 times in tests.
Atonio, who has been touted on some websites as the biggest player at the World Cup at somewhere between 142 and 145kgs, says playing for France wasn't a goal at the start. Instead he wanted to make some money for his family back home and describes international rugby as "a good bonus".
He concedes it's hard to leave his strong feelings for New Zealand and Samoa.
"It's always going to be New Zealand on the inside, but I guess for 80 minutes you just have to play for the French."
But there's no hiding which way he wants the result to go on Sunday.
"It's going to be massive. I think we'll have more supporters than the All Blacks because we're in Europe. It'll be like the final in New Zealand but a bit more blue supporters in the stands and hopefully we get the win at the end".
