'Toughest times I've had' - de Groot on All Blacks disappointment

Ethan de Groot has to wear a rubber wedding ring due to a dislocated finger which is now fused in place.

He also has to use a special pillow to mitigate against a neck bulge between his sixth and seventh vertebrae.

A week after tearing a hamstring against the Brumbies in Canberra in late March, he flew to Perth and played the first half in a close defeat to the Force.

It is an injury list that would probably sideline most players but the Highlanders loosehead prop and co-captain— who has just re-committed to the franchise and New Zealand Rugby until the end of 2027 — told 1News today that he feels it goes with the job.

“It’s all part of it,” he said. “Being the only All Black in the team, I have to front up every week and be the best that I can.”

Disregard the injuries for a minute and none of it has been easy for de Groot or the Highlanders this season.

Dead last on the Super Rugby table, their final match of the season is against the Chiefs in Dunedin tomorrow night, but the bare facts – three victories from 13 matches – don’t tell the full story.

But for some wayward goalkicking in the derby against the Crusaders in Christchurch last weekend – five misses in total – they would have picked up another precious victory and, unfortunately, that has been the story of the southerners’ season.

“It’s been quite a disappointing season in terms of results,” de Groot said.

“We’ve lost seven games by under seven points. We’ve been really close, but it’s about closing out games… obviously we’re a young group and we’re struggling to nail those moments in close games.”

Actually, the Highlanders have lost eight matches by fewer than seven points, including their last three against Moana Pasifika, the Hurricanes and Crusaders.

It has clearly been a difficult season in which their set piece has been exposed and their defence occasionally over-run – notwithstanding the efforts of their outstanding midfielder and co-skipper Timoci Tavatavanawai and lock Fabian Holland.

And the end is in sight with the table-topping Chiefs in town.

“In terms of tomorrow night, the whole year we’ve spoken about our team motto – ‘inspire the south’ – and this is our last opportunity to try to do that,” de Groot said.

Asked about his All Blacks’ ambitions – head coach Scott Robertson will name his first squad of the year on June 23 and de Groot is a near certainty to be in it – the 26-year-old said: “It’s always in the back of your mind all year round.

“You have to put your best foot forward every game. Your spot is never guaranteed in the All Blacks — that’s just the nature of the beast.

“I feel I’m getting through a heap of work in terms of making a heap of tackles and a lot of ball carries.

“I’ve played a lot of minutes as well. Nothing can prepare you for the first Test match of the year, it’s a whole other level in terms of physicality and pressure. I’ve got one last chance to put my hand up for selection. I think I’m trending in the right direction.”

And yet, de Groot probably felt the same way last year on the end-of-year tour before being very publicly dropped by the All Blacks coaches for an off-field indiscretion.

The full story has never been revealed and de Groot, who missed the win over England at Twickenham, plus the next two Tests against Ireland and France, was clearly hurt by it.

“It was probably one of the toughest times I’ve had on tour,” he revealed.

“Obviously, I hurt my neck [against Argentina at Eden Park in August] and was coming back from that and had my stuff-up in Japan. I put a lot of pressure on myself and my family and there was a lot of speculation about what happened. I broke curfew and that was a mistake by me.

“Moving forward, it has probably taken a bit of time to get over that. I probably started the season a bit angry, a bit ‘that wasn’t fair’ or whatever. For me it’s about moving on and getting over it.”

That has been a theme for him this year, but there has been satisfaction, too, in taking responsibility and leading from the front.

“I like that pressure of being a leader. You have to walk the talk. We have guys in our team who don’t have a hell of a lot of experience.

“I’ve been in teams where I’ve been at the pinnacle – which is the [World Cup] final. Just trying to lead and being like the great players I’ve been around has been a big part of my growth.”

He added: “The way I see it is this is our last game… the body can be sore… I just hope we have a good crowd and get the performance that we deserve.

“I know I’ll just have to do my job and just get stuck into it.”