“I’m going to breed some All Blacks,” said Kevin Barrett, laughing, when asked how he was going to spend his retirement.

It was taken as tongue-in-cheek, but ‘Smiley’ was serious. Genetics fuelled his faith. Kevin had enjoyed an admirable career as a rugby union lock. His wife Robyn had played as a point guard for New Zealand’s U-18 basketball team, a goal attack in netball, and was a competitive cross-country runner.

The Barretts bought a dairy farm and, on its acres and acres of green grass, watched their five sons and three daughters play sport. Three of them went on to validate Kevin’s aforementioned vow.

Beauden whizzed up 110 metres of Twickenham turf to score the try that clinched the All Blacks victory over the Wallabies in the 2015 Rugby World Cup final, and became just the second man to be named the planet’s best player in back-to-back years. Scott and Jordie have played in 60 and 57 tests respectively, with both having seized silver and bronze medals at the global finals.

On 2 October 2019, ‘Smiley’ flashed the broadest beam on the planet. He was on his farm, drinking Guinness in front of the TV, and watching Beauden, Scott and Jordie link arms and sing the national anthem. They started a World Cup game together for the first time, and all three scored tries in a 63-0 victory.

Fellow Kiwi John Twigg didn’t make any brash vows when he finally gave up his sport of choice. His wife, he knew, would have probably killed him had he tried to coax his three boys into jetsprint racing, an alpine-adrenaline sport in which two-man crews speed jetboats through gaunt, twisting channels.

He may, however, still emulate Kevin Barrett and watch his three sons represent New Zealand at the global finals. Art and Denny Twigg made their Futsal Whites debut last year, the former helping them qualify for the FIFA Futsal World Cup™ for the first time in September. The middle brother, Sam, has just made his debut, less than six months before Uzbekistan 2024 kicks off.

FIFA caught up with the latter to discuss representing Thailand at U-20 level, committing his senior international future to New Zealand, and being desperate to play alongside his siblings – all three represent Auckland City – on the biggest platform possible in September.

Can you tell us about your upbringing?
Sam Twigg: I was born in Bangkok, Thailand in 1998. I lived there for about 10 years, give or take a year. Then I spent two years in the States. I’ve been in New Zealand ever since. Growing up in Thailand was amazing. I was really close with both my brothers. We all got into football and futsal together. Every weekend it was just sports. We did something called Brazilian Soccer Schools. That’s where futsal started for us. That was really small courts, three v three.

You went on to play for Thailand U-20s?
It was amazing. I’d only gone over to Thailand to help my mum with some personal stuff. My dad reached out to the coach of the U-20s and let him know I was there. It was such an amazing experience. It was made even better by having such a great coach in Miguel [Rodrigo]. Learning from him was invaluable.

At the time, did you want to pursue a senior international career with Thailand?
That was the dream at the time. It was definitely in my thoughts for a while. After the U-20s, I wanted to take a break to finish my studies. As time progressed, my two brothers had been in the training squad for New Zealand, and then Denny made his debut. The opportunity to play alongside my brothers far outweighed my past goal of wanting to play for Thailand. For me, I’d always want to play at the highest level possible. Thailand are always at the World Cup and have done really well there, but I wouldn’t be able to play for Thailand at a World Cup alongside my brothers. I could do that for New Zealand.

Thailand have just reappointed Miguel…
The people there absolutely love him. They have so much respect for him. I think they’ll have a great run under him. I think they’ll qualify for the World Cup. I hope they do. It would be great to see a lot of those guys again. I played with five or six who are on the team now, as well as Miguel. It would be amazing to get to see them or even play against them on the biggest stage possible. I still talk with Sarawut [Phalaphruek]. He’s a really nice guy.

You weren’t in the squad, but Art was. Did you go to the OFC Nations Cup and how did it feel seeing New Zealand qualify for the FIFA Futsal World Cup for the first time?
I was really hoping to make the squad, but it didn’t happen. Art was playing though, so I had to go and support him. I would have gone anyway – New Zealand had the chance to make history, and it’s always amazing to be part of that. It was really close to where I live. I went to all of the games. We’ve got such an amazing, young side. I was over the moon when we won the final and qualified for the World Cup. It’s a first for New Zealand. To see it go down was unbelievable. It hasn’t really sunk in yet. I think it will sink in as we get closer to the World Cup.

How did you feel last month when you found out you’d been called into the Futsal Whites squad for the first time?
I was ecstatic. I mean very ecstatic. I’d been pushing and pushing. I’d been left disappointed a couple of times. The squad was supposed to be announced early in the week. The email never came. I kept checking my emails but as the week rolled on I was beginning to think I hadn’t made it. Then I checked as it was coming to a close and there it was. I texted my brothers right away. I was too happy to put into words. I’ve played with my brothers from a young age, across all levels. To be able to do it with them for the national team is something else.

What was your parents’ reaction?
My mum and dad were over the moon. They’ve supported us a lot. My mum was super happy (laughs). She didn’t stop going on about it. She was telling the rest of our family back in Thailand.

How would it feel to be part of three brothers playing at the FIFA Futsal World Cup?
It’s really, really exciting. We’ve obviously got to keep on working really hard, but I can’t stop thinking about it. It’s uncommon to see brothers compete at that level. It’s really uncommon to have more than two do so. We have the Barrett brothers in rugby. They are the only trio of brothers to have started a rugby test match together for New Zealand. Beauden, Scott and Jordie were at the World Cup together. It was really amazing to see. To emulate the Barrett brothers would be the best thing that has ever happened to us. It’s always been the dream for the three of us. The best-case scenario was always to play for my country with the both of them. It’s come true now and to do so on the biggest stage, the World Cup, is something I’m really itching for. If it happens, I hope we can do our family proud.

Do you also dream of playing against Thailand in Uzbekistan?
That was one of the first things that crossed my mind when we qualified (laughs). I have no doubt in my mind, given the talent that they have, that Thailand will make it. It’s something I want really badly. Going up against those old friends of mine at the World Cup would be something else. I’m really excited for it. I’ll be watching the draw!

Do the Futsal Whites draw inspiration from New Zealand’s performances at South Africa 2010?
It’s really inspiring to see such a small country pull off such a feat. It was amazing to see those guys step up on the world stage. New Zealand went undefeated at the South Africa World Cup. We all look up to that achievement. We want to replicate it. We’d like to leave a really big footprint at the World Cup. We want to go out there, give it our best, see how far we can take it. You never know what can happen.

Your parents have three sons who are all footballers and futsal players. Do you get your sporting genes from your mother or father?
I don’t think my mum was into sports that much, but she was a competitor, for sure. My dad was the one who was always out there, into sports. He did a lot of watersports: rowing, windsurfing and racing jetboats. He’s definitely very competitive. I believe that’s where all three of us get it from.

Can you tell us about your relationship with Art and Denny?
We’re very close. I’m a year apart from the both of them. There’s no age gap hindering us. Growing up, as teenagers, there were times when we didn’t see eye to eye (laughs). Now we get on really well. They’re both up there on my best friends list. We have a lot of the same friends. We go and get food after training and that sort of stuff. Aside from that, me and Sam both work with my dad. Denny lives in the heart of Auckland. I see him every other weekend.