Inspirational All Black prop retires
NEWS: Blues and All Black prop Karl Tu’inukuafe has announced his retirement from rugby following an inspirational rise to the highest level.
Tu’inukuafe was a part-time bouncer who made the Chiefs Super Rugby training squad in 2018 as injury cover for Aidan Ross and Atu Moli spending a season with the Waikatop based outfit before joining the Blues the following season.
He made his All Blacks debut in 2018 and earned 27 Test caps until 2022 when he left New Zealand shores to join French outfit Montpellier.
The road to the highest level wasn’t a smooth one, as the powerhouse prop following high school weight gained up to 170 kgs.
Doctors stepped in and advised him to lose weight to minimise potential health risks.
He made the call in 2015 to take up rugby once again for the first time since his schoolboy playing days and the rest is history.
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