New Zealand Super Rugby Franchise Jerseys with child names
The jerseys of the five New Zealand Super Rugby teams will look slightly different this weekend.
All of the jerseys being worn by the five New Zealand-based Super Rugby squads have been customised for Round 15 with the name of a different child.
It was done as part of a charity initiative run by the BNZ in aid of Plunket – New Zealand’s largest provider of support services for the development, health and well-being of children under the age of 5.
Sport24
The children won the chance to have their names placed front and centre on the jersey of their favourite player through the BNZ Future Stars initiative.
BNZ Future Stars teamed up with Plunket to give 115 New Zealand kids a chance to see their name on the field.
Fifteen Super Rugby jerseys were auctioned on TradeMe, giving the highest bidders the chance to put their child’s name on the front of their jersey. The auctions were a huge success, raising over $10 000 for Plunket. The remaining 100 jerseys were allocated through an online ballot, giving all New Zealanders the chance to also see their child’s name on the field.
The Blues are the first Kiwi team in action this weekend when they face the Sharks in North Harbour on Friday (kick-off 09:35 SA Time). On Saturday, the Highlanders and Crusaders meet in Dunedin (07:35 SA Time), while the Hurricanes and the Chiefs also duel in Wellington (09:35 SA Time).
Blues coach Kirwan said it was a fantastic touch by BNZ to replace their corporate logo with Blues fans’ names.
“We are our fans and an important thing we want to do here at the Blues is to respect our fans and let them know that they’re important to us which they are so having their names on the jersey is a fantastic promotion by BNZ and we’re looking forward to representing them, going out there and playing our hearts out for them,” he told the Blues’ official website.