Returning Kirkpatrick looking forward to lacing up his boots in NZ

Above: Dan Kirkpatrick in one of his games for Petone in 2012 before heading over to France. Photo credit: Jun Tanlayco 

From southern France to the lapping Petone shoreline.

After five years away, Dan Kirkpatrick is glad to be back where his senior career started a decade ago, and, after a false start last weekend he should be good to go this Saturday in what will be his one and only appearance of the year for Petone in the Jubilee Cup.

Former Hurricanes and U20 World Rugby Player of the Year Kirkpatrick has been playing in France for the past five northern rugby seasons, where he spent four seasons at Top 14 club Castres and one at Division 2 side Albi.

“My wife and I have decided to come back home for good,” he told Club Rugby, “we decided about five weeks ago to come home.”

His club Albi were relegated from the division, but that wasn’t the reason he’s returned. “I had only signed with them for one year anyway and I had a few other offers from elsewhere in France but we just decided that we wanted to come home instead of moving on and playing somewhere else,” he explained.

He wasn’t at liberty to reveal anything when we spoke this week, but putting pen to paper with a New Zealand team could be imminent. “We are seeing what’s going to happen, I’m open to playing for a Mitre 10 Cup [Men’s NPC competition] team coming up.”

All going well, this Saturday he will be lining up for Petone at the Polo Ground against Oriental-Rongotai and perhaps against new Wellington Lions first five-eighth Trent Renata in the final round of the Jubilee Cup.

“My clearance didn’t come through last weekend so I was running the water against Hutt Old Boys Marist, but hopefully I will put on the blue and white jersey again.”

“I’ve been watching the club footy over the last few weekends and New Zealand definitely offers something different in its rugby.”

His last game for Petone was a drawn 23-23 Jubilee Cup against rivals Hutt Old Boys Marist in June 2012. There are some familiar faces still at Petone. “It’s great that players like Mateaki Kafatolu, Eugene Smith and Jared Kahu are all still there. But there are a lot of young guys as well, which is good for the future.

Kirkpatrick was a champion in his first season in France. “In my first year at Castres we won the Top 14, beating Toulon in the final, and in my second year we lost to Toulon in the final. So I got a really good taste of French rugby straight away.”

What about the style of play? “I loved it over in France, although the rugby can be a bit different sometimes. You talk about French flair, but to me that means no structure and a bit of all over the show and sometimes it works and other times it doesn’t."

“Sometimes it can be a struggle, especially being a 10. I was lucky at Castres as we used the ball a bit, but it was still unstructured a lot of the time.”

There were plenty of other New Zealanders over there as well.

“When I was at Castres, Sitiveni Sivivatu, Rudi Wulf, David Smith (former Tawa player as well), Alex Tulou (Marist St Pat’s) and Eric Sione (Northern United) were all there. Lots of other guys at other clubs too, such as Petone prop Hoani Tui at Oyonnax, who have just gone up to the Top 14 division.”

Chris Masoe (Johnsonville) helped Kirkpatrick sign with Castres in 2012, but then left in his first season to Toulon. “He left to play in Toulon and then we beat them in the final that year, so that was ironic.”

“There are lots of foreigners playing over there, and they all keep quite close. Lots of English, Scottish, South African and Georgian players, a real mix!”

Other benefits of playing in France for five years is the travel. “Definitely one of the highlights of playing in Europe is being able to travel and having so many different countries so close.”

It’s been a decade since Kirkpatrick kicked a conversion with his first touch of the ball in NPC rugby for Wellington as an 18-year-old. The former Napier Boys’ High School first five-eighth had won the then U19 World Cup with New Zealand earlier that year.

In 2008 he was Player of the Tournament at the U20 World Cup and won the Ranfurly Shield with the Wellington Lions, ahead of two Super Rugby stints with the Hurricanes, in 2009 and 2011-12, and the Blues in 2010 and two seasons playing for the Hawke’s Bay Magpies in 2010-2011.

Kirkpatrick’s father is world champion shearer Jon Kirkpatrick who knocked off Sir David Fagan from his Golden Shears mantle some 15 years ago and has been a force on the clippers every since, becoming a masters world champion at the start of this year and recently winning the Hawke’s Bay Sport Supreme Award.