Karl Tu’inukuafe answers All Blacks SOS

Editor

during the Mitre 10 Cup Semi Final match between Canterbury and North Harbour at AMI Stadium on October 21, 2017 in Christchurch, New Zealand.

New Zealand Rugby have announced that Chiefs prop Karl Tu’inukuafe will join the All Blacks squad as an injury replacement for Tim Perry.

Perry injured a hamstring on the final day of the All Blacks’ training camp in Auckland on Tuesday.

Tu’inukuafe’s inclusion in the world champions’ squad is a surprise selection as he didn’t have a Super Rugby contract at the start of the season.

The 25-year-old, who plays for North Harbour in the Mitre 10 Cup, admitted that his call-up caught him by surprise.

“I got a missed call, and then a text, it was from the manager, Darren Shand,” Tu’inukuafe told Stuff.

“And I just called him back and he said ‘Congratulations’. It was unreal.

“It was just a nice surprise to wake up to, for sure.”

He started playing for North Harbour in 2015 and joined Narbonne in France’s Pro D2 competition later that year before returning to New Zealand in 2016.

Tu’inukuafe made his Super Rugby debut with the Chiefs in 2018 and only recently cemented his place in the Hamilton-based franchise’s run-on side after six appearances off the replacements bench.

Chiefs head coach Colin Cooper believes Tu’inukuafe’s All Blacks selection is a fitting reward for a hard working player.

“I guess that’s the signal to all players in this country – work hard, understand what you’re capable of, and put your best foot forward,” he said.

A renowned scrummager, Tu’inukuafe’s rise up the ranks has been a rapid one and Chiefs co-captain Sam Cane has witnessed the prop’s confidence grow since he joined the side at the start of the season.

“When he first came in he was hesitant to do some drills, he was like ‘Oh I’m not very good at this, or that’,” explained Cane.

“His confidence really comes off the back of his scrummaging.

“He’s very mobile for a big man too. He’d be the first to admit when he came in here fitness was, probably still is, a bit of a work on. But his ability to push himself and work hard and want to make those adjustments, he doesn’t let it hold him back, he empties the tank each week.”