Brotherly love pitted against sibling rivalry

Kevin and John Senio.

Among his stack of sporting memories, Felise Senio favours a rugby game at Western Springs about three years ago.

Senio and sons Dimitri and John turned out for a Ponsonby President's grade side while middle son Kevin played for the opposition.

"I had always wanted to play in a game with the boys, and finally the opportunity came. It was fantastic," Senio recalled this week.

Since then, the 55-year-old's playing days have been limited as he has supported his sons' burgeoning careers, although he does keep himself in good nick cycling 45 minutes to and from work in downtown Auckland.

That fitness helped Senio in the past few seasons when he could clock up 1000km in an NPC weekend driving to watch halfback sons Kevin play for Bay of Plenty and John turn out for Northland.

This weekend, he will swap the car for a plane trip to Christchurch to watch Kevin and John as they wear the No 9 jersey for their respective Crusaders and Blues sides.

"It has given a real edge to the game for us," Senio snr says. "We were all going down to watch anyway, but this will make it a real family confrontation."

Among the dozen travelling relations are brother-in-law Peter Fatialofa and the Senios' daughter Patrice.

Asking who they will support or who will win just draws a quiet, diplomatic chuckle from Senio snr, who works for ASB Bank. Watching two sons play at this level of rugby is reward enough.

He is already planning a trip to take in next year's World Cup in France where eldest son Dimitri, a midfield back, plays for the Albi club near Toulouse. He moved to France about five years ago and is still chasing a dream of joining his brothers as a test player.

John has played seven tests for Samoa since being called into the squad at the last World Cup and Kevin came on as a substitute for the All Blacks last year against the Wallabies.

"God willing, there is a chance one or more of the boys will be involved at the next World Cup," Senio snr said.

"It has been a hard road for John following his brothers, but he had the honour of being the first international. He also has a degree in social sciences, and I am very proud of him as I am of all of them."

Kevin and John have been phoning each other this week, swapping some banter about the outcome and a possible on-field meeting, one which eventuated when Steve Devine was ruled out of the Blues side through illness.

plays together, stays together

The brothers have opposed each other in the NPC and a Super 12 development game and acknowledge each had the edge in one match.

"We both try to analyse play a lot. Sometimes we might overthink things," Kevin suggested. "We are similar characters, although I think I have a shorter fuse than he does."

Says John: "The great thing will be catching up with my brother. I haven't seen him since Christmas, and we are a close family.

"I am getting into the Super 14 much more now. I am more confident now. Everything is not as crazy, not as fast as that first game against the Hurricanes."

Rugby came naturally to the Senio boys. They spent hours playing the game and. when the weather forced them inside, they tested their skill - and their parents' patience - passing the ball down the hallway accurately enough to miss the family ornaments.

"I guess we will be reigniting some of those carpet wars," John laughs.

The boys went through the grades at Kelston Boys High where Dimitri's 1st XV selection as captain and second five-eighths pushed younger brother Kevin into halfback.

"I am a halfback by default really," says Kevin. "I had to move because of my brother but it has worked out well."

There was no such problem for John, who was well behind his brother at school and always played halfback.

Tomorrow, however, the chance for fraternal comparison becomes real.