MP to have plastic surgery

But this surgery is in a good cause. Sunday News reports:

MP Gareth Hughes will have plastic surgery to repair a badly broken nose, busted while playing for the Parliamentary Rugby XV.

Hughes, the only Green Party MP in the side, suffered the injury on Monday in a game against a Diplomatic Corps XV in Wellington. The match was a warm-up for the Parliamentary World Cup, starting next Sunday.

The broken nose forced him out of yesterday’s game against a West Coast invitational team in Greymouth – won by the Coasters 12-0.

“I got the ball out of a ruck and started charging it up,” Hughes said. “But then I got knocked with some guy’s forearm.

“I went down and an awesome amount of blood came out. I went off to hospital and they said, `Wow, that [nose] is really bent’.” …

Hughes will return to Wellington next week for surgery to straighten his nose.

“I’m out of the World Cup unfortunately,” he said.

“But I will offer to be their water boy.

Hughes suffered cracked ribs in his debut for the Parliamentary World Cup side at Murupara in July.

“But it hasn’t put me off rugby. I will definitely play again when I am fit,” he said.

Good on Gareth for showing some Kiwi guts, and sticking with the game.