John Kirwan

Sir John James Patrick Kirwan (born 16 December 1964) is a New Zealand mental health advocate, former rugby union and rugby league player, and former rugby union coach. A wing, he played for Auckland in the 1980s and 1990s, when they dominated New Zealand rugby. He played in 63 tests for New Zealand, and scored 35 tries, making him one of the highest try scorers in international rugby union history. He was part of the New Zealand team that won the first Rugby World Cup in 1987. He also played rugby league for the Auckland Warriors in their first two seasons in 1995 and 1996. After retiring, he moved into coaching, and was the head coach of Japanese club NEC, the Italy and Japan national teams, and the Blues in Super Rugby, until he stepped down in 2015. He has written two books on the subject of mental health, has spoken openly about his battles with depression and been honoured for his services to mental health.