Former All Blacks prop Angus Ta'avao is using a negative experience to pay back the care Starship Hospital has shown son Leo during the early years of his life.
The veteran front-rower played a significant cameo in one of NZ rugby's most notorious events, when he was red-carded for head contact during the All Blacks' loss to Ireland at Dunedin last year - a first home defeat to their rivals in, ultimately, a lost series.
Ta'avao was helped off the field bleeding and dazed by his collision with Irish centre Garry Ringrose.
With fellow prop Ofa Tu'ungafasi and winger Leicester Fainga'anuku already serving yellow cards, the All Blacks spent much of the first half with just 13 men and remained a man down during the entire second half, unable to overcome a 23-12 scoreline.
Soon after, Ta'vao suffered a neck injury that sidelined for almost a year, but after an NPC campaign with Auckland, he has transferred from the Hamilton-based Chiefs to the Blues for Super Rugby Pacific next year.
Leo was born in Australia, during a stint Ta'avao spent with NSW Waratahs, and the boy has been a frequent visitor to Starship with trisomy-13, a genetic disorder that inhibits growth. Many sufferers don't live a year, but Leo is now six.
"It felt like we were in Starship every few days," he told AM. "He was with the renal team, the cardiac team, we were doing overnight sleep studies... pretty much everything you could do, we were ticking all the boxes.
"Me and my family always felt super cared-for. The people in there work tirelessly and we always felt like it was a big family.
"He's come a long way - he's just had his first year at school and to see the growth that's had on him this year is amazing. He's just full of beans, he loves his food and is a wizard on YouTube... he's just smashing milestones."
To help repay the support Starship has provided over the years, Ta'avao is offering his 'red-card' All Blacks jersey - plus Ringrose's Irish jersey from the same match - on TradeMe auction, with the proceeds directed back to the hospital.
"It happened so quickly," he recalls. "Garry just stepped across and next thing, I was out on the ground.
"Funnily enough, as I was walking off, I had blood from my forehead, and I looked up at the screen and saw [referee] Jaco Peyper holding up a red card. I thought, 'That's funny, have they red-carded the Irish guy?'
"I was thinking, 'I've done nothing wrong'."
After the match, Ta'avao and Ringrose shared a beer, with the Irishman donating his jersey for the worthy cause.
"These are the gameworn jerseys," quipped Ta'avao. "They've been washed, otherwise there would be blood on them from my head."
The auction closes at 9:30pm Sunday, with bidding up to $4500 on Wednesday morning.
