As if he didn’t already stand out enough on the rugby field, star All Blacks flanker Ardie Savea will wear protective goggles during the World Cup clash with Canada.
In a bid to protect his deteriorating eyesight, Savea will sport the World Rugby-approved eyewear in Wednesday’s match in Oita after trialling them at training.
The goggles were developed by the international body with a goal of making rugby more accessible to the visually impaired at all levels and were approved for use in May.
One of the world’s premier players, Savea said he realised vision in his left eye had become blurry a couple of years ago and it had slowly worsened.
Wary that damage to his other eye could affect his quality of life, he alerted All Blacks doctor Tony Page and the trialling of the eyewear began.
Savea felt self-conscious at first but had the full support of his teammates.
“In terms of vision and seeing, it’s pretty sweet, and it’s now just a matter of getting used to them,” Savea said.
“Obviously if my right eye goes, I might be potentially blind.
“I’ve got my little girl and hopefully future kids and a bigger family, so I want to be able to see. I’m just thinking of the bigger picture.”
Page said it was important the goggles didn’t harm opponents or teammates.
“If you bashed into someone, would it scratch them? But it appears to be safe,” Page said.
“His visual field, the width of his vision, is unaffected. Those were the things they looked at in the trial.
“It’s great to see someone like Ardie putting it on and being proud of it.”
Long-time Hurricanes Super Rugby teammate Beauden Barrett – like Savea regarded as a potential star of the tournament in Japan – said he had been unaware of the flanker’s health issue.
It began to make sense when he reflected on recent seasons together.
“I’d never thought of it until this point, but there were certain trainings and games when he’s blinking a bit more than usual. I remember scenarios where it now makes sense,” Barrett said on Tuesday.
Assistant coach Ian Foster joked it was a timely week for Savea to start wearing the goggles as the team had been attacked by a swam of dragonflies at training ahead of Wednesday’s match in Oita.