Ireland began their tour of New Zealand with a touching tribute to the late Sean Wainui, presenting a jersey in his honour before kick-off in their opening match against the Māori All Blacks.
Former Māori All Blacks winger Wainui was killed in a single-vehicle crash in October 2021. He was 25.
And as the Māori All Blacks took to the field for the first time since Wainui's death, Ireland captain Bundee Aki presented an Irish No.11 jersey before the haka, in honour of the fallen winger.
Wainui's wife Paige and the couple's two children accepted the jersey after the Māori All Blacks' haka. The Māori All Blacks claimed a 32-17 victory against Ireland.
The winger played 10 matches for the Māori All Blacks since his debut in 2015 and was a regular member of the side.
At Super Rugby level, Wainui played 44 times for the Chiefs, and in his final appearance became the first player in the competition's history to score five tries in a single game, doing so against NSW Waratahs.
He also made 53 appearances for Taranaki at the provincial level before switching to Bay of Plenty in 2021, where he played another three games.
Ireland isn't the first side to pay tribute to Wainui, after USA Eagles did the same before they faced the All Blacks last October.
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