2023 World Cup – Whitelock, a family celebrating in Toulouse

Even when he put on the All Blacks jersey to blend into the crowd, Luke Whitelock did not go unnoticed on the forecourt of the Toulouse stadium last Friday. The third row of the Pau Section, eight selections with New Zealand (the last in November 2018), had to respond to several requests from New Zealand fans while waiting for the kickoff of a historic match for the Whitelock family with Sam’s 148th cap, equaling legend Richie McCaw’s cap record. Adam, the former three-quarter center of Bayonne, had also made the trip from Christchurch, just like dad Braeden and Caroline who also established their base camp near Lyon for this World Cup. “It’s a great family celebration and the atmosphere at the stadium was really great”smiled Luke as he reached the stands. “It doesn’t happen often for us to get together like this so spending time together is precious. I haven’t seen Sam since our grandfather’s funeral so it’s really special.”

Luke would not have missed this moment for anything in the world, he who was a few hours earlier in Hendaye trying his hand at surfing despite the lack of waves during a “team building” outing organized by the Pau Section, before taking the road hoping to arrive on time at the Toulouse Stadium. After a souvenir photo at the final whistle of a one-sided match, the family had mainly planned to meet again the next day, in peace, which suited Sam much better, who had tried all week to minimize the event: “I played alongside some extraordinary people and players who achieved incredible things. I can’t say I thought much about the fact that it was my last World Cup. It was just spending time at the calm, at home or with family, that we sit down and realize that what we achieved collectively and individually was incredible. But that moment has not yet come.”

Even after the meeting, Sam Whitelock wanted to quickly evacuate the question, avoiding betraying his personal emotions. “Is it a special moment? Yes and no. It’s a bit weird. We play a team sport but it’s an individual distinction. The guys were great this week. They just let me do my thing. own thing, get out on the pitch first and just play. I was a bit excited at the start of the match and I conceded a few penalties. So I had to relax and calm down a bit. It was a good reminder to just be in the right frame of mind. I’m happy to be able to spend a few hours with family at the hotel as I haven’t seen my little brother Luke in a very long time. Three of the four boys in the family are going come together to think about something else.” Everything was back to normal the next day according to Luke, who had the chance to play five times with the All Blacks with his brother: “It’s impressive how focused he is on his World Cup. Of course, he’s very proud of reaching this incredible figure of 148 and equaling Richie McCaw but he was only talking about the next goals. I think that he will only be able to realize it after the competition because it is extraordinary in the history of the All Blacks. It is so difficult to become international and to stay in this team for so long.”

Luke plans for the quarter-finals

This reunion marked the prelude to a future adventure in the Pau Section since Sam Whitelock will join Béarn at the end of the World Cup. A subject raised Friday evening at the Toulouse Stadium: “There’s still a long way to go before we play together because I’m totally focused on the World Cup. But I’m very excited to spend more time with my little brother and be able to play with him with the Section.” So, the All Blacks second row was obviously curious on Saturday, Luke admitted: “He looked at the first results with interest and asked me a few questions. He has never been to Pau so I felt he was a little curious even if he is not yet planning on his arrival at the Section. He hopes have one or two days off next week because the All Blacks will be based in Bordeaux. This could allow him to go down to Pau. It’s not set yet but if he could see the city in summer for the first time this would be better than finding her in the middle of winter. We are currently looking for a house for her, but we still have a little time to spare.”

Saturday evening, the whole family said goodbye. Braeden and Caroline, who had spent a few days at Luke’s before the match in Toulouse, headed to Italy, taking advantage of the week without an All Blacks match before returning to France for the final two group matches in Lyon. Adam spent a night in Pau to explore the city on Sunday morning before taking the train to Bayonne to meet up with some friends from his years in the Basque Country before leaving France this Thursday. For Luke, this match in Toulouse with his parents was an opportunity to look forward to the rest of the competition and in particular to a possible quarter-final at the Stade de France. “I looked at trains and flights to see if it was possible. I also need to be able to free myself up depending on my schedule with the Section.”

The Béarnais club was also well represented on Friday at the Toulouse Stadium with its president Bernard Pontneau and its general director Pierre Lahore. There was no question for the two men of meeting their future player, preferring to let him experience this end of an international adventure. But as a nod to the history between the Béarn club and the All Blacks, Colin Slade was present at their side. The former New Zealand flyhalf had not returned to France since the end of his career in 2020. He wanted to take advantage of this World Cup to reconnect with the Section. He was therefore present at training last Tuesday. “It was really special to see him again in Pau, confided Luke Whitelock, IHe lived in the house next to mine when I arrived so he helped me a lot. Now it’s my turn to welcome Sam.” As a continuous link between Pau and New Zealand, while Conrad Smith also chose to establish his base camp in Pau during the World Cup. Only big names, while Sam Whitelock will arrive having become the greatest All Black in history. With five more selections on the clock if he wants to achieve his goal: winning a third World Cup.