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Watch: RugbyPass Exceptional Stories - Ian McKinley

It’s now roughly eight years since the accident that led to Ian McKinley losing the sight in his left eye.

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In a freak accident, a stray boot from a fellow teammate perforated his left eye while playing a club match in 2010 for University College Dublin, leaving him partially blind in that eye.

The injury would be a career-ending one for 99.9% of professional athletes but not for McKinley.

The flyhalf retired briefly in 2011 after the shock realisation that his retina had detached, rendering him completely blind in his left eye.

He resumed his career, with the aid of protective goggles for Rugby Viadana in Italy, a semi-professional side playing in the Italian Eccellenza.

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In 2015, he would make his return to the Pro12, when Zebre needed cover at flyhalf during the World Cup.

McKinley would play a further two times for Zebre throughout the course of that season, one of those fixtures was against his previous team, Leinster.

The following season he earned a contract with Benetton Treviso, where some standout performances saw the Dubliner force his way into the international setup for the 2017 November Internationals.

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McKinley would make his international bow against Fiji, coming off the bench to seal the game with a penalty for the Azzurri.

McKinley has embraced his role as an ambassador for the visually impaired but doesn’t want it to define him.

“I didn’t sign up to be a poster boy,” said McKinley.

“I want people to look beyond the goggles – that goes for coaches as well.”

“I think they do: if I make a mistake I get the same treatment as other players.” ”

“If I do something well, I get the same praise.”

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Anendra Singh 1 hour ago
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I wrote posts on this on two rugby union FB platforms on June 9 (NZ time). I took it further to not only label this QF a “dead rubber” but also if the two sides had manufactured a win, with the Blues taking a raincheck on paying back the Chiefs in a future season, when a bottle neck arises.

Speculation? Indeed, but worth it to inject some credibility in SRP. With flagging interest in what has been a weak SRP, there needs to be some meaningful discussions around what needs to be done to make SRP a platform to select ABs/Wallabies from.

Now, I had reactions of “conspiracy theories” but it basically questions the motive of a repechage “Lucky Loser” facet because it only opens the playoffs to manipulation. It’s called the knockout stage for a reason. You snooze; you lose. No sweeteners required.

The only reason organisers opted for the Top 6 is for a revenue-gathering exercise but, it seems, it has backfired. The 8 qualifying format was a joke, akin to the Blues losing so many games and still making the playoffs. That smacks of the previous seasons’ dilemma.

It’s also worth noting some pool games were questionable because elite teams had done their homework on what boxes to tick for wins and which ones to forfeit. For example, Chiefs and Tahs had not performed in Lautoka against Fijian Drua on what is perceived to be a hostile pitch. Tahs had rested all Wallabies and marquee players.

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frandinand 5 hours ago
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My favorite wine used to be Shiraz and I also enjoy a nice malbec. But having discovered quality pinots my preferences have definitely changed. Sorry Nic. But the great red wines of the world are pinots. The problem is being able to afford them. A friend in NZ sent me this list of their top 25 across regions prices and styles Hope you can source some of them Carlos.

Grove Mill 2023 Marlborough Pinot Noir - $15.99

Ayrburn Whimsy 2019 Otago Pinot Noir - $19.99

Mount Brown 2023 Waipara Pinot Noir - $19.99

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Te Kairanga John Martin 2024 Martinborough Pinot Noir - $39.99

Terra Sancta Shingle Beach 2024 Otago Pinot Noir - $43.99

Pyramid Valley Manatu 2022 Otago Pinot Noir - $44.99

Maude Mohawk 2023 Otago Pinot Noir - $49.99

Misha’s High Note 2021 Otago Pinot Noir - $50.99

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