Standing on the rolling paddocks of his family’s Kawakawa dairy farm in the Bay of Islands, All Black sensation Jack Goodhue pulled an engagement ring from the back of his trackpants pocket.
Brunette beauty Sophia Eblett was peering into the windows of an abandoned farmhouse as he nervously started dropping to one knee. But before the young sportsman could do a full lunge, she turned around.
“He started to say my full name, Sophia Florina Violet Eblett, but it was taking too long and after Florina, I stopped him and said ‘Yes!’” beams the bride-to-be, who is now busy with wedding preparations while Jack’s in Japan for the Rugby World Cup.
Before her teary engagement acceptance, Sophia, 22, had asked a few times for a ride on Jack’s parents’ quad bike. “I didn’t expect the proposal at all and had just been excited about getting on the farm bike.”
Jack, 24, who stepped on the field as an All Black for the first time last June, laughs at the memory. “I wanted to save the quad trip to make the proposal more memorable, but by about the 11th time she asked, it was getting beyond a joke,” he tells. “When we finally got on it,I couldn’t get it into reverse and had to get my dad down from the balcony to help! I was nervous but there’s no excuse for not being able to put the quad in reverse.”
Nevertheless, the moment was perfect for Sophia, who jokingly shrugs, “I just thought maybe he couldn’t ride a quad bike.”
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