Piri Weepu has emerged as an important cog for the All Blacks
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Eddie Butler praises the All Blacks' 'little volcano', scrum-half Piri Weepu, as he prepares to spearhead their Rugby World Cup semi-final charge in The Guardian.
"Down at the bottom of North Island, within the city limits of Lower Hutt and the boundary of Greater Wellington, is the small town of Wainuiomata. It is the home town of the All Blacks scrum-half and the two are alike: little and tough. If you've ever wondered, by the way, about the name, Piri Weepu is of Maori and Niuean descent, Niue being 100 square miles of raised coral atoll in the South Pacific, 1,500 miles north-east of New Zealand.
"Despite being where the former All Blacks Tana Umaga and Neemia Tialata come from, Wainuiomata is a rugby league town. Piri's brother, Billy, played for the Manly Sea Eagles in the mid-1990s and their mum, Kura, coached the Wainuiomata League under-sevens. In fact, she had Piri in her team and gave one of the greatest quotes ever delivered by a mother about a son: "He was a prick to coach."
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