Young flag-bearer honours rugby icon C J Monro
Josh Monro will carry family tradition along with the flag onto Waikato Stadium for the All Blacks v Japan Rugby World Cup game tonight.
Josh Monro has known the story of his forebear, C J Monro, bringing the game of rugby to New Zealand since he was six.
Now, 10 years later, Josh will be doing his family proud, leading the All Blacks on to the field tonight as the official New Zealand flag-bearer for Waikato Stadium’s first Rugby World Cup game.
Though Josh, a Year 12 student at Taupo-nui-a-Tia College in Taupo, doesn’t play the game himself, he is “stoked” at the chance to carry the nation’s flag and walk out in front of the team before they take on Japan.
“My dad and my granddad grew up with rugby in the family. I am a real fan, I’ve loved watching the All Blacks all of my life and I’ve known about C J Monro since I was little,” he said.
The story goes that Charles James Monro left New Zealand to attend Christ’s College in England, where he learned to play rugby union, returning to Nelson in 1870 and bringing the rules of the game with him, passing them on to schoolboys at Nelson College.
In preparation for his role, Josh has been keeping an eye out for the other flag-bearers’ moves but admits he doesn’t know how he’ll feel when the time comes to face the massive crowds.
“It’s a mixture of nervousness and excitement. I don’t think I’ll know what to expect until I actually walk out there.”
On the field Josh will stand between the captain and the match officials for the national anthem, then head to the stands to watch the game with his parents.
Knowing this will definitely be one of the stories he’ll pass on to his kids in the future, Josh hopes to get the opportunity to meet some of the team properly.
“I’d love to get a few autographs,” he says, “maybe take a shirt and get them all to sign it and keep it as a memory.”
For Josh and his family, this month is a time to celebrate the great rugby history of their family.
Next week he will fly to Nelson with his dad, Hugh, to witness a re-enactment of the first game of rugby, played between Nelson college and Nelson Rugby Club in 1870, and organised by his ancestor.
From there it’s on to Palmerston North for the unveiling of a bronze sculpture depicting the late C J Monro, which will stand outside the Rugby Museum at Te Manawa.
