Children's names among the stars

Highlanders midfield back Phil Burleigh with Brody Clark, of Dunedin, yesterday. Brody models  a ...
Highlanders midfield back Phil Burleigh with Brody Clark, of Dunedin, yesterday. Brody models a special one-off Highlanders jersey that will be worn during tomorrow's game. Photos by Craig Baxter.
Burleigh with Brody, Malakai Fekitoa (centre) with Jordan Patterson, and Lima Sopoaga with Macca...
Burleigh with Brody, Malakai Fekitoa (centre) with Jordan Patterson, and Lima Sopoaga with Macca Foster after the jerseys were presented yesterday.

Plenty of big names will be in action at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin tomorrow.

McCaw, Whitelock, Smith and Smith, and Manu.

But there will also be some lesser-known names on the field.

As part of a fundraising initiative between BNZ and Plunket, the front of each match jersey will feature a child's name ... Brody, Jordan and Macca, to name a few.

All New Zealand teams will wear the one-off jerseys during this weekend's round. Children from around New Zealand won the chance to have their name placed on the front of jerseys through the initiative.

An auction was organised of 15 Super rugby jerseys, giving the highest bidders the chance to put their child's name on the front of their jersey. The auction raised more than $10,000 for Plunket.

The remaining 100 jerseys were allocated through an online ballot, giving everyone the chance to get their name on a jersey.

Three lucky Dunedin fans, Brody Clark (5), Jordan Patterson (8) and Macca Foster (16), attended Highlanders training yesterday to present their match-day jerseys.

Those names will be on display in front of a large crowd, with more than 18,500 tickets to the game between the Highlanders and Crusaders sold by yesterday afternoon.

Only a few tickets remained in the two main stands, but plenty of tickets were still available in the Zoo section.

I-Site manager Louise Van de Vlierd said yesterday there was still accommodation available in Dunedin.

''Motels and hotels in town are starting to get booked out, but there are still plenty of B&Bs and dormitory beds available, and places like the Portobello Village Tourist Park still have accommodation available,'' she said.

 

Add a Comment

 

Advertisement