Kronfeld more Twink than Twitter in making his point on French nuclear testing

Josh Kronfeld played 54 tests for the All Blacks. Photo / Scott Barbour, Allsport

He did it because, well, it just felt right. Looking back almost 20 years after he took to the rugby field for Otago with an anti-nuclear symbol and the words "stop testing" Twinked on to his headgear, Josh Kronfeld marvels at the naivety of his 23-year-old self.

"I didn't think it through too much at the time," the former livewire openside flanker who played 54 tests for the All Blacks says. "What was going on in France and the Polynesian islands [French nuclear testing] just seemed incredibly ridiculous. Here we were all just letting it happen. It just seemed logical to say 'hey, this is dumb'. My headgear was a pretty obvious platform.

"I talked it through with my girlfriend and when we were sitting down with a Twink pen putting it on it didn't seem wrong. Being who I am now, looking back at the moment, I was playing with a bit of fire. Naivety was probably the winner there."

Kronfeld's gesture was perhaps the last time a top All Black stepped out of line to make a political point. He made his stand in early 1995, months before rugby turned professional, playing domestically in the national championship. Rugby's powers that be instructed him not to repeat the protest on French soil when the All Blacks toured later that year. Kronfeld was set to rebel. He had special headgear made for a test match in Paris and was mulling over whether or not to wear it. Fate made the decision for him in the form of a pothole he stepped in before a warm-up match. The rolled ankle he suffered ruled him out of the entire tour. Not getting to play in France remains one of his biggest regrets, however, he was also saved from making one of the toughest decisions of his life.

"Whether I would have done it on the day, I was pretty nervous, so I don't know."

These days Kronfeld has mixed views on politics and sport. He admires those who stand up for their beliefs, but dislikes seeing sport's purity diluted.

Kronfeld, perhaps surprisingly, doesn't do Twitter.

"It's not a medium I feel comfortable with or would ever go near. It allows for really volatile and reactive responses. If you are comfortable in that arena then you can do some good shaping and grooving, but I'd certainly be wary of it."

The complex corporate relationships and mass media markets that dominate the modern sporting landscape make taking a stand more difficult for athletes than it once was, says Kronfeld.

"It's about staying true to who you are and what you believe. If you need to make a statement in today's world it is harder and you definitely need to think about the repercussions and what you are stating."