All Blacks prop Ethan de Groot is usually a man of few words, but has sprung onto the attack over the fate of his old stomping ground, Invercargill's Rugby Park.
The southern venue was scheduled for maintenance and repairs, with $5.1 million earmarked for work over the next 10 years, but next year's allocation has been abruptly cancelled by the Invercargill City Council, saving about $2 million.
The decision effectively leaves Southland rugby without a home, a situation that does not sit comfortably with de Groot, 25, who attended Southland Boys' High School and whose earliest rugby memories can be traced back to the local stadium.
As his Highlanders prepare to face the Super Rugby Pacific-leading Blues this weekend, the acting captain has kept his pre-match comments low key - until the subject turns to his beloved park.
"It's disappointing actually," said de Groot. "I love Rugby Park and I wave the flag hard for the south.
"There's no Southland without Rugby Park and it would be a shame if they let that go to waste."
Mayor Nobby Clark insists the facility, opened in 1908, has done its dash.
"I think we are throwing good money away on Rugby Park," he said. "It doesn’t have a future..."
Such talk is red rag to a bull for de Groot, who isn't prepared to consider another venue for his Stags.
"Obviously, he's not the one sitting in the terraces watching the games, is he?" responded the front-rower. "I don't really know what else to say except, 'Sort it out, mate'.
"I think they should just fit Rugby Park and that's where we play rugby. That history that's been there... you can't change the Stags' home of Rugby Park, it's a staple and I love it there."
De Groot still remember sliding down the bank as a kid and, as a teenager, attending a 2011 Rugby World Cup fixture between Argentina and Romania, one of three held at the ground.
"It was awesome, it was packed. Fix the stadium."
"I want to get Highlanders games down there and playing Super Rugby games down there every couple of years. That's what Southland fans deserve and we've got to have a place to play footy."
The southern franchise last took a game to Invercargill in March 2023, defeating Western Force 43-35, and had none scheduled there this season.
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