Peter Bills, writing in The Irish Independent, meets Kiwi Tim Manawatu, now playing in Italy for L'Aquila, the club devastated by an earthquake in 2009.

"His name won't strike a ready chord with you, but then, that won't surprise him. Tim Manawatu knows he doesn't exactly have a name as familiar as Dan Carter or Richie McCaw. "No matter, this young man's life has been transformed since he got to Italy on his rugby odyssey; there really is no other way to describe it. Like all young New Zealand kids, he yearned to pull on the black jersey, to call himself an All Black. But that is a reward afforded to just the privileged few. "However for Manawatu, there has come the stunning realisation that you don't have to play at the level of the All Blacks to earn an extremely pleasant living out of professional rugby in Italy, the rugby nation which plays Ireland in the Six Nations opener at Croke Park on Saturday week. "Originally from Kaikoura, part of the Canterbury region on the south island, Manawatu took a leap into the unknown several years ago and has counted his blessings every day since."