Recalling the famed “Battle of Bayonne,” former referee Wayne Barnes described Ireland’s 2007 pre-World Cup match in France “pretty brutal.”
A few weeks before the 2007 World Cup, Ireland took on French club side Bayonne after being placed in the same group as the French. following the match went noted in Irish rugby history for all the wrong reasons—talisman Brian O’Driscoll breaking his sinus following a punch that threatened his entire tournament—the opposition and venue decisions drew harsh criticism.
Speaking on the most recent episode of The Left Wing, Barnes said, “Oh yea, oh yea,” in response to the question of whether the bout was as brutal as claimed.
This is reality, not just one of those urban legends. It has two aspects to it. To begin with, the game was really harsh. Secondly, a TMO was absent. Whenever someone tells me to “get rid of the TMO,” I respond, “Go watch Ireland vs. Bayonne, mate.”
“I have officiated a few matches. “Look fellas, you got to stop smacking each other now, you’ve made your point,” I told Paul O’Connell and Leo (Cullen), who was playing for Leinster, when I officiated Munster vs. Leinster at Musgrave Park.
“However, during this game in Bayonne, it seemed like someone slapped someone at every chance.”Someone is going to get hurt if you don’t sort this out,” (Brian) O’Driscoll did tell me. Regretfully, it was he who fell off with a broken cheekbone.
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New Munster star Alex Nankivell: ‘I went behind my dad’s back and did a DNA test’
If Alex Nankivell had opted to move forward when the province made its initial effort to sign him a few years back, he may have arrived in Munster prior to his summer arrival.
Nankivell wanted to give it one final shot at realizing his dream of donning the All Black jersey, though, as he was on the periphery of the New Zealand team.
Even if things didn’t work out as planned, Munster kept them interested, and he wasn’t going to let them down again when they felt there was another chance to bring Nankivell to Limerick.
Although Sale and Bordeaux were also considered, Nankivell was adamant about playing Munster, particularly after the center had a beer with a few players from the province after the Maori All Blacks’ victory over Ireland in Wellington the previous year.
As Nankivell remembers, “I was kind of joking about coming to Ireland at the time.”
“That has kind of gone full circle since Craig Casey, Niall Scannell, and Gavin Coombes were there.”
The intriguing tale of how Nankivell ended up in the Maori setup is one that holds great significance for his family.
Kim, the 27-year-old’s father, was adopted and never got to meet his biological parents. Despite his constant belief that he was Maori, Nankivell experienced impostor syndrome when he was brought back to into the team
The significance of the Maori culture is evident to anyone who has visited New Zealand, which is why Nankivell decided to research his family history.
He claims, “It was more my curiosity.”
Dad didn’t know all the specifics, but he had heard rumors that his mother was in Auckland.
“Although she wasn’t Maori, she told a tale about how she met his father. She was too young for them to be together. The birth certificate did not include his name.
“I tested my DNA. I left my father’s side. Although I believe he would have preferred to be in the dark, I suppose he would have cared to know.
It was wonderful to learn that I am Maori. That sense of “Maybe I am an imposter here” vanished as a result.
“My DNA matches were sent to me via email. I opened it and began reading through; the list contains thousands of names because up to 1% of the matches are genetic.
“We eventually located dad’s birth mother, who had given us his name. We knew the name, but we were unable to connect the dots.
“A woman with the same last name as his was randomly scrolling down when I came across her. I choose both the family tree and it.
“I messaged her because it seemed promising, asking whether she knew Trevor Coe, dad’s biological father. Actually, we don’t have a lot of information. We’ve heard that when my father’s mother first met him, he was a musician performing in a band.
After a few days, she returned and remarked, “Yeah, that sounds familiar.” She introduced me to another woman and said, “Yes, that will most likely be him.”
She then introduced me to my dad’s first cousin, who had moved, it turned out. My parents had recently moved up to Bay of Plenty the previous year, and he had lived there.
“All these bizarre things were present. We finally made contact with them and had a meeting. The way it operates is that you have a tribe in New Zealand that is known as an Iwi.
That encompasses a substantial portion of New Zealand. In addition, there are sub-tribes and the Marae, which serves as the family’s gathering place and sort of community center.
“So, the entire family and I went there. That’s where our ancestors originated, which is interesting.
Dad cherished it. After everything was over, he declared that it was the best thing that had ever happened to him.
“Dad has a half-brother who lives in Hamilton, where the Chiefs are, and a half-sister who lives down the street from him.”
Every now and then, I would get to catch up with them and have dinner with them. My younger cousins came over to see my rugby after I went to watch theirs. It’s quite unique.
Family is incredibly important to Nankivell, as you can see from his admission that he was nervous about moving halfway across the world by himself.
Nevertheless, he has adapted well, living with teammates Alex Kendellen and Paddy Patterson, with the assistance of John Ryan, with whom he played with the Chiefs the previous season.
The hard-working midfielder has demonstrated on the field why Munster was so eager to sign him in the first place.
“After playing with James Lowe at the Chiefs and Tasman, I actually lived with him during my first season at the Chiefs, so I have a pretty good relationship with him,” Nankivell grinned.
“He’s a good man who gave me excellent care.” It’s strange because he likes to claim that he mentored me.
Before joining Munster, Nankivell had a solid understanding of Irish rugby from playing against them in New Zealand and the RDS last year. He is now excited to continue, especially tomorrow night when Munster plays Glasgow at a sold-out Musgrave Park.
Nankivell continues, “New Zealand is such a small place.” “I was eager for a fresh challenge and a change of scenery after working for the Chiefs for eight or nine years.” I spoke with the All Blacks informally. Although I would have loved to, it would be a shame to pass up the numerous options available to rugby players these days.
