Sean Wainui’s last act in a Chiefs jersey was his crowning glory, at least on the field

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Sean Wainui was a massive influence on the Chiefs team he joined in 2018. ANTHONY AU-YEUNG/GETTY IMAGES

In the end, Sean Wainui’s last ever touch of a ball in a Chiefs jersey proved to be his crowning glory.

At least on the field, anyway, for a man whose contribution will be better remembered by team-mates and coaches for all his commitment and leadership off it.

Wainui died in a car crash on Monday. He was 25.

He was no superstar in the game of rugby, but as Chiefs team-mate Brad Weber pointed out in his social media tribute, the hard-working, proud winger deserved everything he did achieve in the sport.

And on one winter’s night in Sydney – June 12 at 4 Pines Park, to be precise – in the final-round Super Rugby Trans-Tasman clash against the Waratahs, Wainui reached his pinnacle.

In what was his 44th outing for a Chiefs team he had joined in 2018, the 1.91m, 102kg dreadlocked No 11 re-wrote the history books, becoming the only player in Super Rugby history to score five tries in one match.

It could have been an easy game for Wainui to sit out. The Chiefs were out of contention for the final, and he had not played for six weeks due to a hamstring injury which had him limp off on captaincy debut against the Blues at Eden Park.

Yet here he was, the 2020 coaches’ player of the year, determined to finish the season on a high. And, as his side coasted to a 40-7 victory, a man never in the spotlight most certainly stole the show.

Five minutes into the second half he had himself a maiden Super Rugby hat-trick. Five minutes later he matched 18 others as four-try scorers. But then, 48 seconds after the fulltime siren, came the clincher.

Shaun Stevenson seemingly deliberately switched the point of a razzle-dazzle Chiefs attack to the left side and Wainui produced a pick-up off the bootlaces and expertly dived for the corner.

Even then, the TMO went poring over replays to check his foot hadn’t grazed the touchline, before Wainui could bask in his history-making feat.

But, no, that was never going to be.

While any show-pony winger would claim a good chunk of credit for a five-try performance, this man was having none of it.

“All I had to do was catch the ball and put it down, bro, the boys did all the mahi,” Wainui told TV broadcaster Stan Sport afterwards, also believing he would somehow get out of shouting drinks.

“Nah, I left my card at home in New Zealand, bro, so the boys have got us there, cuz.”

And Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan said that self-effacing, light-hearted reaction to his big night illustrated just what Wainui was all about.

“He was very understated and deflected all of the praise back on the team, even though scoring five tries is a remarkable feat,” a sombre McMillan reflected to Stuff.

“Showed a whole lot of humility, was obviously very proud of his Māori heritage, it all comes through in the interview, and I think it really sums him up.”

His voice audibly quivering at times through the phone, McMillan described just how influential Wainui was in the team environment and how much of “a huge void” he was going to leave.

For all his laidback demeanour, Wainui was highly driven, and in turn, inspired those around him.

“He epitomised everything that you could possibly ask for in a player, he always gave 100 per cent of himself, he was a consummate team man, he was humble, and he was extremely talented,” McMillan said.

“For a number of years, long before I was associated with the team, Sean had been held in the highest regard, both as a person and as a player.

“He turned up in pre-season this year in fantastic physical condition, won all of our testing, he took a real lead in driving our culture.

“There’s a strong Māori flavour to that and Sean’s incredibly passionate about being Māori, he encouraged everybody in our team to embrace all of those elements that are in the Chiefs team – our haka, our waiata, our language. He was a strong advocate for people being authentic and identifying strongly to their roots.

“It didn’t matter what team he played for [McMillan also coached Wainui in the Māori All Blacks], he gave the best of himself. That was just Sean – totally committed to the team. And those that got to play alongside him, and be involved with him, were very fortunate.

“So it’s such a loss for, primarily his immediate family, but also the extended rugby community, and all the people that had the pleasure of knowing Sean.”

In a few short weeks, Wainui was meant to be linking back up in Hamilton for pre-season training ahead of the new Super Rugby Pacific competition. He was signed through 2022.

Instead, the Chiefs’ Ruakura headquarters will be hollow and eerie.

But also richer for all Wainui’s contributions, which came in far greater currencies than tries.

 

 

 

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