A poem for Piri

Photo - Otago Daily Times

SCRUM-FEED

For Piri Weepu

  

Sonny Bill has his offload,

Nonu his speed and skills,

Smith his sharp running angles,

Kaino: his muscle busting through.

But the man I look for

is Weepu. At scrum-time

when they engage and Piri

has the feed, a try he can make.

Kahui and Jane are fast cars,

McCaw rules the openside,

Thorn and Williams lock tight,

the Franks, Woodcock prop all night.

But the man I look for

is Weepu. When play’s loose,

and Piri gathers the ball and looks

to kick, a try he can make.

Dagg has that yard of pace,

Carter’s the maestro five-eighth,

Mealamu drives hard and low,

Read runs hard in the tackle.

But the man I look for

is Weepu. So, at the end,

with the game on the line, and Piri

has the feed, a try he can make.

By Mark Pirie, a Wellington poet and editor. His books include A Tingling Catch: A Century of New Zealand Cricket Poems 1864-2009 (HeadworX, pb $34.99)