There are some losses in life you get over. There are others you never will but you have to keep moving forward.
Chris Masoe had a very special guest of honour amid the 95,000 throng at the Nou Camp this evening.
The Kiwi forward was playing for Racing 92 in the Top 14 final, at the home of Barcelona F.C, and was hoping to add another trophy to his glittering career.
He was also hoping to win this final for young Ayla Collins. The young girl, 2, is the daughter of tragic couple Jerry Collins and Alana Madill.
Madill and Collins, an All Blacks legend, died in July 2015 after a traffic smash in the South of France. Crash scene investigators later discovered that Collins had died protecting his infant child. He had thrown himself across her to cushion an oncoming blow as the car went out of control.
Masoe and his wife, Jenny, have helped to care for Ayla as she went through intensive care, her recovery in hospital and from her eventual release late last year.
The 37-year-old was cheered on by Jenny and Ayla throughout a fraught match but Racing held on, with only 14 men, to win 29-21. Post-match, Masoe pointed to the skies and told French TV that the victory was dedicated to Collins and Madill.
He was also joined on the pitch by Ayla, who barely knew what all the fuss was about.
https://twitter.com/YonKab64/status/746444642879737856
Superb images on a night to cherish.
Win or lose, Masoe was already a hero. Life will just taste that bit sweeter tonight.
