America’s Cup: Luna Rossa sign Luca Kirwan, son of All Black John Kirwan, to cyclor team

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli have revealed their power unit for the upcoming America’s Cup, with Kiwi Luca Kirwan signed as one of the team’s cyclors.

The son of former All Black Sir John Kirwan grew up in Italy but took up rowing when he returned to New Zealand in 2012.

He competed for New Zealand at the under-23 world championship in 2019, and was a reserve in NZ’s squad for the 2022 Rowing World Cup.

Kirwan, whose mother Fiorella is Italian, met with Luna Rossa during the 36th America’s Cup in Auckland, after which he decided to trial for a place in the power group for this year’s regatta in Barcelona.

The America’s Cup has implemented a strict nationality rule for the 2024 campaign, requiring 100 per cent of race crews to either be a passport holder of the country the team’s yacht club resides in as at March 19, 2021, or to have been physically present in that country for two of the previous three years before March 18, 2021.

A Luna Rossa promotional video announcing the team revealed Kirwan will wear No 14 for the team, the same number his father wore for the All Blacks.

Kirwan’s sporting background is a similar one to the majority of the Luna Rossa power unit.

Romano Battisti, Emanuele Liuzzi, Bruno Rosetti, Nicholas Brezzi and Cesare Gabbia are all well-credentialled rowers. Paolo Simion (cycling), Enrico Voltolini (sailing) and Mattia Camboni (windsurfing) make up the rest of the group.

It’s a route many of the competing teams are taking in their power unit.

Team NZ’s cyclor team welcomed Hamish Bond (rowing, cycling), Dougal Allan (multisport), Louis Crosby (cycling), Cameron Webster (rowing), and Sam Meech (sailing) alongside 2021 power providers Simon van Velthooven, Louis Sinclair, Marcus Hansen and Marius van der Pol.

Olympic rowers Matt Rossiter, Harry Leask and Matt Gotrel feature among Ineos Brittania’s power group.

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.