Rugby sevens: Kevin Iro makes comeback in new code

Five years after retiring from a glittering league career, Kevin Iro is lacing up the boots again at this weekend's Wellington rugby sevens.

Iro, 37 and a father of five, will play for the Cook Islands team at the International Rugby Board (IRB) tournament at Westpac Stadium - including a pool match against New Zealand on Friday.

"I was just living in the Cooks, not doing much and relaxing, but I got the itch to play again last year and decided to put the boots on again," Iro told the Dominion Post newspaper.

Iro played for the Kiwis from 1987-98, scored six tries in six British Challenge Cup grand final appearances for Wigan and Leeds, and also played for Manly and the Warriors in Australia's premier competition.

He admitted it was a difficult change of code.

"The core skills are the same but that's about it; but it's not alien to me because I played rugby till I was 16 (as a student at Auckland's Glendowie College)."

Should Iro, now tipping the scales at around 100kg, safely make it through the Wellington tournament, he could reappear for the Cooks at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in March.

- NZPA