On the field, Kirwan’s 1.91m frame and blistering turn of speed made him seem invincible. The truth was anything but. Later in his career, he went public about the depression that had at times paralysed him.
“One of my biggest fears when I did do the advertising campaigns, was that I felt that I would possibly ruin my reputation and career. But the opposite happened, and it has been an incredible journey.”
Raised in the archetypical rugby environment where the only way is to ‘suck it up and show no weakness’, Kirwan had good reason to be anxious.
“I was scared that people weren’t ready to talk about it. I thought there would be a lot of stigma attached to it. For me, it was so horrible and so scary, that my decision was that if I helped just one person cope with what I went through, then it was worth it.”
He became Sir JK in 2012, knighted for his services to both rugby and mental health.
It’s a long way from the teenager who famously went from playing third grade for his Marist club to Auckland and on to the All Blacks inside a year. At 19 years and 183 days, he is the fourth youngest All Black to debut ever.
There is a pause, then a hearty chuckle when I ask what the JK of 1983 would have thought had he been told what life had in store?
“I was only worried about winning the hundred jug haul at Marist in those days. I’d have had you locked up if you said I would do what I’d done!”
Most unlikely would have been the suggestion that in 2018, his favourite spectator sport would not be rugby, but football.
His love for the beautiful game can be put down to Kirwan’s favourite Italian saying ‘Non sputare nel piatto dove mangiato’ (“Do not spit in the plate you’re eating off”). For him that meant embracing everything about Italian culture when he started playing for Treviso in 1985.
“It was about respecting culture and learning the language,” he says.
Treviso was also where he met his wife Fiorella. Today the couple’s three children all share his love of sport, but not of rugby. His daughter Francesca is a beach volleyballer, youngest son Luca a rower and Niko a professional footballer with Italian club AC Mestre and on the verge of taking the field as an All White.
“Niko has never had a rugby ball in his hand; but he’s always had a soccer ball at his feet. So, I decided to fall in love with his game, and I love football now. I watch it every week.”
Kirwan still splits his time between Italy and Auckland.