'The choker label, it was a tough one to sit with me for 12 months until I guess the World Cup': Stephen Donald opens up on how that one kick changed his life
Stephen Donald, otherwise known as “Beaver”, may have had one of the most turbulent careers in the history of All Blacks rugby.
While the flyhalf will forever go down in history as being the player who helped deliver the World Cup back to New Zealand in 2011 after a 24-year wait, he’d been heavily criticised for a performance in the black jersey a year earlier.
After the All Blacks lost to the Wallabies 26-24 in 2010’s Bledisloe Cup test in Hong Kong, where a young James O’Connor famously converted his own try from the sideline to win the match, Donald was seen as the villain of the piece.
Most notably, he came under fire for failing to find touch with a clearance kick.
Opening up on his career on Sky Sport NZ’s show, ‘Playmakers: Rugby Stories’, Donald sat down with former All Black Jeff Wilson and discussed one of the most eventual years in the history of anyone’s playing career.
“I know I’d had criticism my whole career but the criticism after Hong Kong was firstly, ‘he doesn’t deserve to be an All Black’, secondly, ‘he’s a choker.’ I’m not the most talented, never been the most talented person, But I worked hard to get where I got to be an All Black,” Donald said.
“When people start saying, ‘he never deserves to be an All Black’, it sort of cuts you. And then the choker thing, that really hurt me because I’d pride myself on plenty of times when kicks needed to go over, kicks it over.
“The thing about the Hong Kong thing that irks me is from a personal point of view is that I missed the goal kick sort of 15 in from touch, 20-odd out, that would’ve buried the game anyway. So I know everyone harps on about the missed touch and all the rest of it but it’s that goal kick that gutted me the most.
“The choker label, it was a tough one to sit with me for 12 months until I guess the World Cup.”
Following his performance in Hong Kong, both his playing career and everyday life had changed forever.
According to Donald, it’d gotten to the stage where the veteran of Waikato rugby had considered moving away from the country that he loves.
“It was getting to a point where I felt, and I love New Zealand – anyone who knows me knows I would not want to live anywhere else in the world.
“But it was getting to the point where, did I actually want to have to wear a hoodie and a hat every time I went to the supermarket or if I went for a beer somewhere, did I want to be tucked away further in the corner and try and avoid anyone. And it was getting to that point.”
The Crusaders have confirmed that Jack Goodhue will likely take no further part in rugby this year, and Joe Moody is also set for some time on the sidelines with a toe injury. #SuperRugbyAotearoahttps://t.co/gQyYkEKdiN
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But following the 8-7 win over France, fans were calling for hid candidacy as Prime Minister at the victory parade in Auckland. He’s since had a movie called ‘The Kick’ made about him. While the criticism could never be taken back, Donald had made amends in the eyes of New Zealand rugby fans.
“It just opened up my life again and allowed me to not have to have a hoodie on in summer, and go to the supermarket, go to the pub in piece. That was the big thing for me…The most important thing is it got me a way of life back again and allowed me to have a bit of freedom in New Zealand again really.”
After firstly confirming that his playing days were “99 per cent, absolutely done”, Donald was asked by Jeff Wilson to reflect on what being an All Black means to him.
As he responded, “it means a hell of a lot more now than ever.”
“Without a doubt there’s things that I wish I’d done differently when I was in there, and experienced that on a older head I would’ve done things differently,” Donald told Wilson on Sky Sport NZ’s Playmakers: Rugby Stories. “It means a whole lot more to me now.”
“The intensity of it all, sometimes, especially back then, I think the boys probably have a better balance now but back then I don’t think certainly myself, didn’t actually stop and smell the roses a little bit and realise how good this is. And now you look back on [and] reflect, ‘yeah, very proud.’”
And when looking back on the “brutal, brutal environment” that he suggested the All Blacks could be for players, it didn’t seem to change his love and passion for the black jersey.
“I’d never moan about it because I would never for one moment not want to be an All Black. So if this is what I’ve got to pay the price for, then this is what I pay the price for.
“It’s not something I ever moaned about because I just thought that this is part of it and if I’m not living up to it, I’m not living up to it.”
Comments on RugbyPass
We had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getitng to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
7 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
55 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
7 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
54 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
54 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
7 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
54 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
55 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
54 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
54 Go to comments