Ireland will take on the All Blacks this Friday night, a fixture that will see James Lowe, Jamison Gibson Park and Bundee Aki face off against the country of their birth.

Since 2016, Ireland v New Zealand has arguably become world rugby’s greatest rivalry. Having players who reared in the intense environs of New Zealand rugby has no doubt benefitted Ireland.

But what kind of emotion do people in New Zealand – especially those who watched those players come of age – experience watching those players in a green jersey, playing against the All Blacks?

On the eve of what will be yet another special day for Ireland winger James Lower, tinges of disappointment remain in Lowe’s hometown of Nelson about what could’ve been, according to Peter Griggs, Lowe’s schools coach.

I truly believe that, if he’d stayed in New Zealand, he would have been an All Black. He was one step away from the All Blacks, but he’s always kind of a free mind, a free person and it didn’t surprise that he would do something a little bit weird.

I was a little bit pissed off they didn’t pick him because I think from memory there was a tour where they took a team just to Fiji or somewhere like that. If they’d taken him, it would have mean he would have been ineligible to play for another country for five years or something. I would have rather he played for the All Blacks. 

For Griggs who coached Lowe during his time at Nelson College between 2008 and 2010, seeing his former full-back kick the ball for Ireland is strange, never mind seeing him sing a different national anthem.

 He was a very dangerous player, he was very fast, (but) we didn’t want him to kick, mate. Why would you ever kick it? 

I’m still very proud of them (playing for Ireland). It’s funny to watch, J Lowe, for example, singing the Irish national anthem and I wonder how he feels now. 

I guess he’s been there long enough and he’s done it enough. But I wonder, especially the first couple of times when he did it, how he felt about it? But again, the last time I spoke to him face to face, I just knew that his heart was well and truly Irish. 

James Lowe: the Nelson College ‘cult hero’ 

Yet despite the glimpses of disappointment and memories of Lowe’s priorities being far from the classroom, Griggs’s memory is very much so one of immense pride – a memory that’s evidenced by Lowe’s presence on his school’s walls.

He very much had that extra spark. He was very popular with his peers and as I said, he was looked up to by the young kids at school. He was a kind of a cult hero. 

So we have in the 1st 15 changing room pictures of former players who are now All Blacks or whatever, and James’s photo is large as life on the wall in the changing room.

Whenever he does (come home), he will come to the school and he will give gear out. He would come to a practice and be the water boy. He gives back. He knows where he comes from. 

That same sentiment is one keenly echoed by his former club coach Dion Mytton, who James played under after leaving Nelson College.

In Waimea Old Boys Rugby Club on New Zealand’s South Island where the pair enjoyed championship success together, Lowe’s Irish success has the locals getting behind Andy Farrell’s men.

There is an Ireland jersey there, but I guess it’s a hard one. We hope James plays well…he’s part of us, he’s part of our family at the club, but we still want the All Blacks to win. 

 In fact, I think New Zealanders are nearly All Black first and Ireland second.

While on these shores Lowe might be known as a ‘world-class winger’, in Waimea, it’s Lowes bubbly character and continued support of his local community that has him so fondly remembered.

There, Dion Mytton still sees the ‘big kid’ out coaching the Waimea’s youngsters when he returns home.

While to many Irish fans, James Lowe seemed to burst on the scene in 2017 with his razor-sharp finishing and impressive kicking, it was far from an easy journey for a man who had to overcome significant challenges with arthritis at just 15, as Griggs remind us.

Something called delinquent arthritis. So we picked him, when he was about 15 years old and he actually had to take a year off, then he bounced back from that. But for us to pick him, we normally didn’t pick kids that young and we picked him, because we saw how good he was.

His illness was fantastic for him to overcome. Yeah, he had great support from his family and support at school but  he was very, very sick, so to come back and bounce back from that to become, you know, one of the best players in the world is, is really phenomenal.

Like his school coach who had little trouble imagining Lowe representing New Zealand, Mytton immediately recognised the potential in Lowe, appointing him to club captain to try and combat the ‘mental’ side of the game with which Lowe was struggling to master.

He comes out of Nelson College. He was a superstar there, which was first 15 rugby in South Island of New Zealand. Basically, he did struggle a wee bit in his first year, because coming into club rugby, you’re actually playing against men. 

It was more just his mental side of the game. He had to sort of get right, which he did. It took him. It took him one year, probably….Yeah, it was, yeah, brilliant. We made him Captain because we just, we actually thought that might help him with his mental side of the game.

While James Lowe’s coaches might be hoping that Ireland ultimately fall short on Friday evening, one can sense that if the New Zealand-born Irishman has his way, Ireland will be leaving the Aviva Stadium triumphant.