Daniel Kirkpatrick- What a Lad

Dan Kirkpatrickwas an age grade superstar who was starting Super Rugby with the Hurricanes at just 19 years old. He's a guy I always remember as being being just a genuine humble good guy and he's had a hell of a journey both on and off the field. In this episode of What a Lad, Dan opens up about becoming a father at just 19 and the challenges of balancing that with professional rugby, why he decided to leave New Zealand at 23 despite still having an All Blacks dream, and the serious injuries that eventually contributed to the end of his career. Some parts that stood out for me were… What growing up looked like for him to be school boy star Becoming a dad at 19 while trying to establish himself in professional rugby Getting his opportunity with the Hurricanes at just 19 More about his decision to leave for France The conversation around whether he was giving up on his All Blacks dream Winning the Top 14 with Castres as massive underdogs The concussion and neck injury that impacted the back end of his career His transition out of rugby and into business Building his own gym and a new community after rugby Dan's a great example of someone who went all in on his rugby dream and has been able to do the same with life after the game. Plenty of great lessons and stories in this one! * * * Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.