Bone appétit – All Blacks bolter in mad dash to make flight after dog ‘chewed up’ passport
Leroy Carter in action for New Zealand 7s at the Paris Olympics
The uncapped Leroy Carter needed just a single media appearance in New Zealand to buck the modern-day trend of robotic rugby players revealing little or nothing about themselves.
The 26-year-old Chiefs winger was named earlier this week as Rugby Championship injury cover for Caleb Clarke. All Blacks boss Scott Robertson unveiled a squad of 36 ahead of a campaign that will begin in Argentina on August 16, with six additional players also included as cover for several injury doubts.
These cover additions include Carter, who also plays NPC for Bay of Plenty, but he very nearly was ruled out of the trip to South America due to a pesky pet eating his passport.
Following his inclusion as one of Robertson’s 42 players, the versatile back was asked to forward a picture of his passport to All Blacks team management.
Rookie error
So far, so good, but he then made the rookie error of leaving the travel document on top of his bedside locker… and his dog soon got stuck in.
Appearing at Thursday’s All Blacks media session ahead of the team’s departure for Argentina on Friday, Carter explained: “My partner went to the gym and left my dog home alone, and it’s gone down the hallway, jumped on the bed and just chewed up the passport and my teeth aligners.
“It was a bit of a shambles yesterday [Wednesday]. I was trying to get an emergency one, but I think it’s all sussed now.”
That emergency passport will now be picked up in Auckland before the All Blacks fly to Buenos Aires and onto Cordoba for the August 16 opening round match.
It’s a fixture where Carter will look to make a Test debut having previously represented New Zealand at sevens, including last year’s Olympic Games in Paris.
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