Soccer has made serious inroads in New Zealand in recent decades, the Springboks have usurped their age-old rivals at the top of rugby’s tree, and nothing speaks louder for the All Blacks’ slippage more than the fact that Ireland have won five of the nine last meetings. Don’t let any of that fool you, the ABs remain big business and bigger news. To witness the fallout this last week from Joe Marler’s remarks about the haka was to be reminded of the cultural touchstone that is this emblematic franchise.
And the pressures fostered by rugby’s place in the nation’s heart and soul penetrate much deeper again. Harry Plummer will start at out-half and as vice-captain for the All Blacks XV side that takes on Munster at Thomond Park on Saturday evening having steered the Blues to a Super Rugby title and made his Test debut against Australia during the Rugby Championship. It has, by any standards, been a wildly successful year for the 26-year-old whose opportunities with club and country came via injury and illness to others.
But maybe his greatest achievement in 2024 was opening up recently about his mental health journey. Plummer fell into a familiar trap as a younger player in paying too much heed to the opinions of others, not least on social media. “You start feeding the dark side of your head,” he said recently in a video shot for New Zealand’s Movember charity.
Injuries and illness are other obstacles he has had to overcome but the abuse suffered at the hands o.
