dˈuː tə hɪz hˈaɪt ʌv wˈʌnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti fˈoːɹ sˌiːˈɛm, hiː wʌz ˌoʊvɚlˈʊkt baɪ ðɪ ˈɔːl blˈæk sᵻlˈɛktɚz fɔːɹ bˌiːɪŋ tˈuː ʃˈɔːɹt fɚɹən ˌɪntɚnˈæʃənəl klˈæs lˈɑːk.
Due to his height of 194 cm, he was overlooked by the All Black selectors for being too short for an international class lock.