ROSEMARY ABBOTT | Sport
TURNING THE TIDE
One test All Black Shaun Stevenson is coping with his absence from the All Blacks Rugby World Cup squad by indulging in a little whitebaiting adventure down the scenic Waikato River.
Stevenson, widely touted by fans and experts alike as a potential inclusion in Ian Foster’s 33-man squad for the World Cup, has chosen to address his feelings of disappointment through a rather unconventional path.
He’s drawing inspiration from the renowned 23-test All Black Stephen Donald, who etched his name into rugby folklore with his unforgettable whitebaiting story back in 2011.
“I’ve heard the legends about how a little whitebaiting magic can work wonders,” he quipped with a grin.
“Beaver’s 2011 story has me convinced that there’s something to this river ritual. I ended up getting my debut off the back of a couple of injuries to the squad over the past few weeks and the World Cup is nearly two months long, so who knows what it’ll throw my way,” said Stevenson, who was likely disappointed to not make the side after scoring a try on his test debut against the Wallabies.
Debate has been back and forth about whether Stevenson should have been selected over the other outside backs Caleb Clarke and Emoni Narawa, especially after being in arguably better form than the two of them the whole year.
“Whitebaiting on the Waikato may not grant me a ticket to France, but who knows?. I’ve done all I can on the rugby field!”
More to come.
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