Long wait over for Afoa

John Afoa (L) covers Jimmy Cowan during training in Dublin. Ross Land / Getty Images

It had almost become habit for giant prop John Afoa to head for the door when All Blacks coach Graham Henry named his test team this year.

Included in the Tri-Nations squad, taken to South Africa and Australia but unwanted, then part of the 35-strong squad to tour Britain and Ireland but not required to face Wales, Afoa was starting to get a complex.

That's why the 1.80m, 122kg lad from South Auckland, 22 last month, was almost reduced to tears when he was confirmed for a run-on debut against Ireland at Lansdowne Rd.

"Five games had passed and still my name hasn't been read out - I've been really looking forward to playing," he said at the All Blacks' Castleknock Resort hotel outside Dublin this week.

"I was just a bit stunned, but extremely overwhelmed and that night I didn't get much sleep. There were a lot of things running through my mind and a lot of emotion."

Afoa, like Wellington prop Neemia Tialata, who had a memorable test debut against Wales, is a great endorsement for All Blacks scrum guru Mike Cron.

Cron, the former New Zealand Under-21 captain and Junior All Black, helped bring Afoa up to the next level technically, to the point where he has strung together 17 consecutive Super 12 matches for the Blues.

It was Cron who broke the news to Afoa that he'd made the Tri-Nations squad after the Lions series, when he impressed playing for Auckland.

Afoa was engrossed in his Sunday morning cartoon viewing when Cron made the call in July, telling him to "act surprised" when Henry told him he was in.

He didn't have to act when the team were confirmed on Monday, forming another imposing front row at tighthead with Blues teammates Keven Mealamu and Tony Woodcock. Another smart selection by Henry, despite picking an entirely new starting 15.

"It's my first game but I've played with them a long time now. We know what each other's game is like and we've got a good feel for each other. That'll make it easier for me."

Afoa will clunk heads with Ireland loosehead Marcus Horan, a 30-test veteran who is a mystery opponent.

"I have to do a lot of homework on the computer," Afoa said.

"It's just an exciting time for me, I had a taste of Northern Hemisphere rugby with the Lions.

"The boys haven't been back here since 2001 and a lot of boys are really eager to get out there and show what we've got."

Afoa won't have family present in Dublin but has been bombarded with text messages and expects they will be crowded around the television in Papakura on Sunday morning.

The Papakura High School old boy remains proud of his roots despite moving to "the big smoke" several years ago.

"Definitely a south-side boy at heart. I'll be thinking about them when I run out."

- NZPA