Kirchner shouldn’t take boos personally
by Frankie Deges 23 August 2012, 17:10
If Zane Kirchner is booed on Saturday at the Malvinas Argentinas Stadium in Mendoza when he tackles Los Pumas, he shouldn’t take it personally.
You see, the Springbok fullback happens to have the same surname as former Argentine president Néstor Kirchner. The late president, who led Argentina from 2003 to 2007 was followed into office by his wife, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.
Needless to say, the surname has a notable profile in Argentina, and the Kirchner name is not very popular in the Mendoza region in particular.
“In my first visit to Argentina with a rugby team a few years ago, as I was going through immigration, they took longer than what they should have and I didn’t know why,” he told the local media.
He was unaware of the situation and seeing his surname in billboards was bizarre. “Driving into town I saw my name all over the place and I wasn’t sure what was going on, maybe I was a criminal or something,” he smiled.
“People kept asking me if I was a relative of the Presidential family.”
A try-scorer in the Springboks' opening Castle Rugby Championship match, he will play his 17th international on Saturday.
“I don’t know much about Argentina the country, I was only there once a few years ago. But so far, we have been treated very well and are feeling very welcomed.”
