Afoa foots it with the best

John Afoa hadn’t long arrived in Christchurch on Thursday when he realised he didn’t have any rugby boots for his shock Crusaders debut.

The 39-year-old World Cup winning All Black and Blues centurion had given his away after playing one last game in France last weekend, when his French club, RC Vannes, came up short in their second-division semifinal.

He never expected the call on Tuesday from the Crusaders, prompting him to pack up his flat helter-skelter and bring forward his one-way ticket to New Zealand by a few weeks.

Just as well, then, he had a back-up plan in the form of former All Blacks team-mate Dan Carter, after he failed to find a pair his size at Rebel Sport and adidas stores.

‘‘I was like, ‘there is only one man to ring, Mr adidas. Dezzy, mate, I need some boots. Can you send some down here?’. Fortunately enough he pulled through, sent some boots down for me today,’’ Afoa said shortly after he became the oldest player in Super Rugby history.

Twelve years after he left New Zealand with 38 All Blacks caps and 104 Blues caps to his name, Afoa played 49 minutes against the Waratahs while still feeling the effects of jetting his way across the globe.

Talk about a whirlwind week for the man the Crusaders landed due to an injury crisis up front – they’ve lost four props to seasonending injuries, and two others were unavailable on Saturday.

He could barely believe it as he sat alongside interim captain Codie Taylor in the changing sheds shortly before the Crusaders made their way down the tunnel at Orangetheory Stadium, at one stage grinning and winking at head coach Scott Robertson.

‘‘Fifty [minutes] was the max. I was like, ‘look lads, I’ve travelled like 40 hours on Thursday to get here, I can do 50 and that’s about it.

‘‘Crazy, crazy week. A lot of stuff to organise, less than a week ago we were playing our semifinal, lost that and now I’m playing Super Rugby, which I can’t believe still, really.’’

He didn’t miss a beat in his 496th first-class game, earning a scrum penalty, notching 12 metres on four carries, and making all nine tackle attempts. He was even credited with a clean break, before he dished a pass Taylor should have gobbled up and potentially turned into points.

Afoa didn’t get a stop-start slugfest on a cold night first game back, one which might have helped him ease back into it. He got a warm May afternoon, ideal for running rugby.

So, has the pace of Super Rugby changed in the decade-plus since he left New Zealand as a 28-yearold in his prime? ‘‘Well, the only difference is I am actually 4kg heavier, that’s the real difference. I don’t know if it’s faster, I’m just slower,’’ he said, before touching on his record as the oldest player in competition history.

‘‘It’s a strange record to have, it’s one of those maybe you will be under the Tui beer cap in 10 years’ time, but happy enough to take it, you know what I mean.’’

Having jumped at the opportunity to have one last crack at Super Rugby, Afoa arrived only knowing veteran lock Sam Whitelock among players, although Afoa was familiar with Robertson and assistant coach Tamati Ellison from his earlier playing days in New Zealand.

Indeed, much water has passed under the bridge since the Auckland product represented Ulster (58 caps), Gloucester (105 caps), Bristol (89 caps) and Vannes (14). So much it didn’t matter it was the Blues’ arch rival that came calling.

‘‘Because I’d been away so long I just see the franchises as New Zealand. For me, I was just coming back to play in New Zealand, it didn’t quite matter what franchise it was and just lucky enough it was a great team.’’

Before Afoa headed to the sheds to celebrate with his new teammates, he made one thing clear. This is his last year. He’ll finish this season with the Crusaders, before playing one final season of NPC then give away those boots.