Rugby legends put on great show for Queenstown crowd

Sunday, 18 September 2011, 6:56 pm
Press Release: Destination Queenstown

Rugby legends put on great show for Queenstown crowd

There was plenty of passion, flair and entertainment on the rugby field in Queenstown today (18 September) as the Classic All Blacks stormed home against the French Classics 57-15 in front of a capacity crowd.

The star-studded Classic All Blacks lineup ran in nine tries to three, much to the delight of the 7,000-strong crowd at Queenstown Recreation Ground. Classic All Blacks try scorers were Jeff Wilson, Keith Lowen (2), Tony Marsh, Simon Maling, Karl TeNana, Scott Robertson, Christian Cullen and Charlie Hore. The French Classics try scorers were Gerald Orsoni, Abderrahmane Agueb, Frank Comba.

The match got off to an entertaining start as the crowd erupted in cheers when the Classic All Blacks, led by Dion Muir, went toe to toe with the French Classics to perform a fierce haka.

Classic All Blacks convener Andy Haden was delighted with his team’s performance and the way the crowd got behind both teams.

“The Classic All Blacks had plenty of horsepower but took a little while to hit their straps. However, they finished strongly with a succession of tries in the second half. We’d dearly love to see the same margin in Eden Park next weekend.”

After the game, fans swarmed onto the field to meet their heroes. Both teams swapped jerseys and received a huge roar from the crowd as they performed a rousing encore haka facing the fans on the embankment.

While in Queenstown, the Classic All Blacks and French Classics are being hosted by The Rees Hotel, a five star luxury apartment hotel on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, which is a major supporter of the match.

The match, organised by Destination Queenstown in conjunction with Classic All Blacks convener Andy Haden and the Sevens with Altitude committee, is one of a number of events happening around Queenstown as part of the nationwide REAL New Zealand Festival.

ENDS

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