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Watch: All Blacks snub Du'Plessis Kirifi stars in 19-point Hilux NPC loss
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Hurricanes co-captain Du’Plessis Kirifi has bounced back after a tough seven days, starring for Wellington in their 52-33 loss against Hawke’s Bay on Sunday afternoon at Hnry Stadium in Wellington.
The openside flanker will feel hard done by after missing out on the All Blacks squad for the Greatest Rivalry Tour, which included 44 players.
But the Super Rugby Pacific 2026 winning co-captain didn’t let that get in the way of his first performance in the Hilux NPC competition, claiming three turnovers and a try in Wellington’s 19-point loss.
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The 8-Test All Black also contributed twelve carries and seven tackles, in a performance that Wellington as a team will want to put behind them as they travel to Auckland on Saturday for round two.
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Kirifi’s try, which came in the 67th minute, came through Wellington’s forward pack securing the ball at lineout time.
They opted for the driving maul, with Kirifi marshalling the troops from the base, before darting to the left from the back of the rolling maul, identifying a space in the away side’s defensive line.
Kirifi’s leg drive powered him over the line, as Wellington looked to gain some momentum back during the final quarter of the contest.
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When naming his All Blacks squad for the tour of South Africa, Rennie explained why Kirifi didn’t feature.
“I spoke to a handful of guys, so I’m not going to go into massive detail, but you know, as you’ve seen with the guys that we used in the Nations Championship, those boys fronted well for us,” he said.
“Luke [Jacobson], Anton [Segner], Peter Lakai, Ardie can all play seven, and certainly, you know, Dupes [Kirifi] is a good player and had a good season, and so there’s good players who’ve missed out, and not just him.
“So his job is to go away, keep working hard, be ready if an opportunity arises. I’d be surprised that we don’t call someone out at some stage.”
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