The curtain came down for Kieran Read a couple of weeks ago when his Toyota Verblitz team’s Japanese Top League campaign came to a halt.
o, there is just one member of what is arguably the greatest back-row ever formed in international rugby still standing. Jerome Kaino has some business to complete before he joins Richie McCaw and Read in rugby’s after-life.
Now 38, the 83-times capped All Black who won the 2011 and 2015 World Cups remains a force of nature on the rugby field. He may not be as quick as he once was, but he is still capable of making thunderous tackles and his leadership and experience have been a key part of Toulouse’s rebirth in recent years.
Kaino kept going with New Zealand until the end of 2017, but brought the curtain down on his international career when he joined the sleeping French giants. His impact has been seismic according to his team-mate Cheslin Kolbe.
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“When Jerome came to Toulouse in 2018, I couldn’t believe it to be honest with you,” Springbok star Kolbe said this week.
“I never thought that I would have the opportunity to play with (such) a legend as Jerome. He’s just so experienced; he’s achieved so much throughout his rugby career.
“He’s just a phenomenal leader, not just on the field but off the field, and he just knows how to keep a team together. Having a guy like him in these kinds of big matches definitely just brings a bit of calmness amongst the group, and a man who just lives by example on the field.
“I’m sure a lot of the boys will just follow with what he does. For me he’s just a phenomenal player but more so a great man, someone I’ve always looked up to by the way he’s played as well, just being as physical as everybody knows him.
“I think his all-round game has definitely also improved and brought so much to Toulouse.”
Kaino beat Jamie Heaslip to win the player of the tournament in the 2004 U-21 World Championships and has been at the top of the game since making his All Black debut earlier that year.
He’s out-lasted most of the players from his generation, but before he finishes at the end of this season he wants to become a European champion and add a second French title to his collection with Toulouse.
His form has merited a place on the European Player of the Year shortlist and, although he’s humble about that prospective honour, Kaino is enjoying his last few months on the field.
“I’m loving my rugby at the moment,” he told Virgin Media this week. “I grew up hearing about and watching the Heineken Cup growing up, I always thought about how interesting it would be to play in it. It’d be special to win it, but there’s a lot of work to be done.”