Kirifi denies posting Goodfellas meme on All Blacks account after Wales defeat

Du’Plessis Kirifi has issued a public statement denying he posted a mocking Goodfellas meme on the All Blacks’ official result post after New Zealand’s 35-28 defeat to Wales, insisting his Instagram account was used without his knowledge.

Kirifi’s personal account, @deepblueseeee, commented a gif of actor Ray Liotta laughing in a white tuxedo at a dinner table — a widely recognised internet meme — beneath the All Blacks’ full-time score post. The comment drew an immediate and confused reaction from fans, with one of the first replies simply reading “wtf?”, before it was removed.

In a statement posted to his Instagram Story, Kirifi was unequivocal. “I want to make it clear that the comment from my account was not posted by me,” he wrote. “I back the boys whether I’m in the team or not and I am guttered that something from my account suggests otherwise. It’s always up the All Blacks.”

The incident carries added context given Kirifi’s current standing within the All Blacks setup. He was called into the squad as an injury replacement ahead of the second Bledisloe Cup Test in Sydney but was subsequently left out of the 36-man group for the 2026 Nations Championship Northern Tour after Anton Segner and Ethan Blackadder returned to fitness.

Both loose forwards featured in the matchday 23 that fell to Wales, with Segner starting at blindside flanker and Blackadder introduced from the bench. Kirifi, watching from outside the squad, found himself at the centre of an unwanted story that he moved quickly to shut down.