Sir John Kirwan was an outstanding winger.

Imagine having the skill and desire to run the length of the field without touching a hand, scoring one of the most memorable individual tries in international rugby. Most regular players would be looking for a teammate to pass to without considering the opponent’s score.

It takes enormous self-belief and confidence to pull off a try like Sir John Kirwan’s against Italy in the 1987 Rugby World Cup. As renowned commentator Keith Quinn said, “It was a really great run.”

He took the ball from Grant Fox and dove near his own goal line, beating most of the Italian team and earning a standing ovation from the Auckland crowd. Surprisingly, Kirwan scored three more attempts better or similar to Italy’s, including his personal favorite against Canterbury, a sideline strike against Waikato and a try against Queensland from the 22-metre line, putting the quality players in the spotlight. I won.

For a time he was a powerfully built winger with rare speed and ability who honed his evasive skills in the trees.

The name JK was discovered by Auckland coach John Hart as a senior rugby player at Marist, and within a year he was playing for the All Blacks.

In a great interview I did with John recently, he told the fascinating story of meeting Hart.

“With my father, I wore nice shirts and ties that were not appropriate for my butcher job. Hart was offered to play for the Auckland second grade side before being considered for the A side, but he was immediately rejected by his father, who said it was A side or nothing. That strength of character impressed Hart so much that he relented and allowed me to play for the best team.”

So in my amateur days I would sometimes work all day, make a quick change for training and then go on race day. JK played for Auckland from 1983 to 1994 and appeared in 63 Tests for the All Blacks, scoring 35 Test tries and a record 199 first-class tries.

In his prime, he had epic battles with Wallabies wing David Campese as they competed for the title of best wing in the world.

John Kirwin supporting Michael Jones during the 1991 Rugby World Cup. (Photo by Russell Cheyne/Getty Images)

JK admitted that Campo was his toughest opponent, saying, “He was a real challenge.” I also asked him who the best center he ever played out there was and he said, of course, Joe Stanley.

During JK’s rugby career, he suffered from anxiety and depression. This condition became known as “black dog,” a label used by Winston Churchill to describe his “dark moods.” When I asked John if any coaches were aware of his condition, he said, “No. “There wasn’t,” he answered. I hid all my problems from everyone at the time.”

He was asked to be the center of a mental health TV ad, but was reluctant to do so because of concerns about how he would be viewed, so he turned to his mother for advice. “My mother asked me if the ad only helped one person, is it worth it? I had to say yes.”

KIrwan explained that mental health issues are “no different from any familiar physical injury, such as a hamstring injury, you just need to stop and treat it. Problems arise when they are left untreated.”

After his playing days, John continued his rugby career with coaching in Japan, Italy and Auckland, but unfortunately his playing career as a world-class wing and hero was not matched by many. His spell with the Auckland Warriors from 1995 to 1996 attracted considerable media attention.

Like many players, JK had his peak years and a period of decline in form in his later years. The match against Argentina brought back memories of the glory days of the past. I asked him who the most competitive and inspirational All Black he played with was.

“Sean Fitzpatrick and Sir Michael Jones came in a close second.”

Sir John Kirwan was a powerful All Black wing, but over the course of his career he became a recognized pillar of strength in highlighting mental health issues. He set up the Sir John Kirwan Foundation to help young people better understand mental health.

His “Mitey” project was implemented to help educate children on how to achieve and maintain good mental health. He confirmed: “200 schools have introduced the programme, but we are targeting 1,400 schools.”

“Mitey is designed to help overturn New Zealand’s shocking suicide figures.”