You’re kidding, it’s footy mate: Kiwi rugby star stages daring injury hoax for on-field marriage proposal

This article was originally published on Stuff and is reproduced with permission.

The captain of a Canterbury club rugby side managed to snag a romantic win against local rivals, all thanks to a clever ruse involving a fake injury to propose to the team’s physio—who just so happens to be his girlfriend.

Jayden Young, captain of Woodend’s division two team, set his plan into motion during the 70th minute of the match against Ashley.

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Prior to the match, he informed the referee and the opposing captain of his intentions to fake an injury as he planned to propose to Estelle Taylor, his long-term girlfriend, who serves as the team’s physio and manager.

“They had a bit of a laugh and shook their heads like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding, but good on ya,’” he told Stuff.

As he collapsed dramatically for his cinematic moment and retrieved the engagement ring, the crowd erupted in excitement.

“It was brilliant,” Young reflected.

Taylor mentioned she anticipated Young would propose eventually, but the way he executed the plan took her by surprise.

He had told her that his family was attending the match, and when he struggled to eat breakfast due to nerves, she assumed it was simply pre-game anxiety.

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Taylor, who played for Woodend’s inaugural women’s team last season, felt puzzled when she first saw Young go down.

The first thing she exclaimed was, “Where are you actually hurt?”

She informed Stuff that he hadn’t devised a specific injury scenario in advance.

“He hadn’t thought that far ahead… So he was lying there in the grass saying, ‘Ah, um, my leg.’”

She then retrieved the magic spray and started attending to his thigh when he suddenly knelt on one knee and popped the big question.

“She’s a massive footy fan, so I thought what better way to propose than with a footy-themed moment,” Young said about his future wife.

Young had been expected to play the entire 80 minutes but had prearranged with his coach to leave the pitch after the proposal.

However, things took a twist.

As he walked over to his coach to celebrate with Taylor, he received a thumbs-up, but was told he needed to finish out the game.

“I looked at him, gave him a thumbs up, and he shook his head, saying, ‘No, no, play 80 minutes,’” Young recalled with a chuckle.

Nonetheless, love triumphs, and the resourceful halfback found himself ‘injured’ just in front of the opposing team’s bench five minutes later, exiting the field with their blessing.

The happy couple plans to host a traditional wedding, possibly with an engagement party at the rugby club.

Although Young felt reluctant to reveal the match score (his team lost 59-8), he did manage to score his side’s lone try.

So who truly emerged victorious that day?

“Oh, that would be me,” he declared to Stuff.

“And the missus.”