Justin Marshall reveals 'regret' over Toutai Kefu's stabbing news
All Blacks legend Justin Marshall has revealed he has “regrets” after hearing that Wallabies great Toutai Kefu is fighting for his life after being stabbed during a home invasion.
Kefu was rushed to hospital after he was stabbed while defending his family from three home invaders in Brisbane on Monday.
The 47-year-old, who is the head coach of Tonga, is reportedly in a serious condition with abdominal wounds, while Kefu’s wife and two children also suffered lacerations and injuries to their arm, back, abdominals and hand.
Speaking to Fox Sports in the wake of the news, Marshall, who described his relationship with Kefu as “great”, said he “regrets” his brief interaction with the Tonga boss when they crossed paths prior to the All Blacks vs Fiji and Manu Samoa vs ‘Ikale Tahi double-header in Hamilton last month.
“This is why I talk with some regret because you hear news like we’ve heard today and it’s really shocked me and has thrown me, but my point is I saw him about three weeks ago in the tunnel before Hamilton when they were playing a test match there,” Marshall said.
“The thing about that is, you sometimes look back at things with guilt, and I’m looking back at that encounter with guilt.
“I know Kef really well and we’ve got a great relationship and I was in a hurry, we had a team meeting upstairs and had a rehearsal and he was just casually standing outside the change room and we stopped and chatted, but I didn’t get to ask him a lot of the things that I wanted to ask him.
“I said, ‘Sorry, but I’ve got to go, I’m late for rehearsal’. I didn’t get to see him again and the news that I’m hearing today, it leaves me with regret that I didn’t have the time to ask him about him and his family.
“I basically asked him, ‘How’s the coaching going, how are you finding it, are you enjoying New Zealand?’ And then I said, ‘Sorry mate, I have to go’.
“That always leaves you with a bit of emptiness when you hear the details and he’s basically fighting for his life and his family has been harmed and you think, ‘I wish I had taken more time to talk to him’.”
Marshall, the 81-test halfback who played for the All Blacks between 1995 and 2005, squared off against Kefu, who played 60 tests for the Wallabies between 1997 and 2003, many times throughout his career at both Super Rugby and international level.
Perhaps the most notable moment the two shared on the rugby field came during the 2001 Bledisloe Cup series, when Kefu crossed for the match-winning try in the dying stages of the final match of that year’s Tri-Nations.
Two former All Blacks legends are reportedly helping cross-code star Roger Tuivasa-Sheck prepare for his highly-anticipated rugby union debut. #NPC #AllBlacks #RogerTuivasaSheck #Auckland https://t.co/uoPI5VKPM1
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 16, 2021
Kefu’s try in Sydney gave the Wallabies a 29-26 win over the All Blacks, which ensured Australia a Bledisloe Cup whitewash over their Kiwi counterparts.
Marshall unsuccessfully tried to stop Kefu in the lead-up to his decisive try, and the 48-year-old said that play has remained at the forefront of his Bledisloe Cup memories.
“That is very much part of my regular life really because I always tell that story of him pipping us at the post and Kef was the guy who scored that try and I was the guy underneath him hoping to prevent it and he got the better moment of me,” Marshall told Fox Sports.
“So, he’s very much in my every day when I think about telling stories, particularly when it relates to the Bledisloe.
“Those days were great days and when you hear news like you heard today, it always puts you in a frame of mind that you just can’t believe what you’re hearing to be honest.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Pick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
15 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
4 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
4 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
15 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
15 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
4 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
15 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
14 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
15 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
15 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
15 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to comments