Rugby legends in line for 'Classics' clash
13 Jun 2011
Classic All Blacks v French Classics - Queenstown
18 September 2011
A team of All Blacks rugby legends will play a feature match against some famous old French rivals in Queenstown this September in a clash of the "classics" to celebrate New Zealand’s rugby heritage.
The world-famous resort town that's known as New Zealand’s adventure capital will host the one-off match between the Classic All Blacks and the French Classics on 18 September as part of the REAL Festival that surrounds Rugby World Cup 2011.
The star-studded Classic All Blacks line up will include some of New Zealand’s most revered players as well as a who’s who of French rugby.
All Blacks legends
The Classic All Blacks team will include legends like Christian Cullen, widely regarded by his countrymen as one of the best fullbacks of all time and one of the greatest All Blacks of his generation, and Andrew Mehrtens, one of the top first five-eighths in the world since the advent of the sport's professional era in the mid-1990s.
Mehrtens retired from international play as the all-time leading point scorer for the All Blacks - a record only surpassed by Dan Carter.
Also in the line-up is Jeff "Goldie" Wilson, a New Zealand dual international representative in rugby and cricket. With 44 tries in 60 tests, Wilson is currently the eighth-highest try scorer in rugby union history.
Other well-known names include Tony Brown, Charlie Hore, Reuben Thorne, Dion Muir, Kees Meuws, Scott Robertson and Kelvin Middleton.
REAL New Zealand Festival
The Classics event is part of the REAL New Zealand Festival, and is expected to be a major drawcard for Queenstown.
Destination Queenstown marketing general manager Graham Budd says the resort town has plenty of accommodation to suit all tastes and budgets and the feature rugby match is the perfect opportunity for visitors to come to Queenstown and enjoy all the adventures and activities which make it so famous worldwide.
Classic All Blacks convener Andy Haden says the team is looking forward to the game and says the Queenstown Recreation Ground has an intimate feel which will give it great crowd atmosphere.
"We’ve played matches in some great venues, including Bermuda every year for the past 25 years. We had a fantastic response from our players this time - as soon as they knew we were having a match in Queenstown they were in."
The French Classics team line-up will be confirmed by 1 July and is expected to feature a number of players responsible for the All Blacks’ 1999 Rugby World Cup demise at Twickenham.
Queenstown will also be a RWC 2011 official team training venue for four teams - Ireland, England, Romania and Georgia.
More information
Rugby World Cup 2011
REAL New Zealand Festival
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