Sam Whitelock was in Gore Paper Plus promoting his new autobiography, Views from the Second Row.
Whitelock said the book was not your average run-of-the-mill sports book, but instead drew from his life and lessons he had learnt.
‘‘It’s not a traditional rugby stats book. There’s more family and farming stuff that go through it.
‘‘It’s something that makes me, me, so I definitely wanted that to come across in the book,’’ he said.
He attributed his success, as the most capped All Black of all time, with a storied career in professional rugby, to his farming upbringing, Whitelock said.
‘‘I think there’s so many similarities with rural life and sport, and it’s something that set me up to be successful.
‘‘Looking at the general sporting population, there [are] a lot of rural people that are successful.’’
He was very happy with the reception he received in Gore, Whitelock said.
‘‘It’s very humbling. I still see myself as a typical country kid, even though I’m a wee bit older than a kid now.
‘‘I never wanted to leave, so it’s really nice coming back to smaller places to connect with people that are exactly like myself,’’ he said.
People of all ages lined up outside the door, waiting patiently for a chat with Whitelock, who was as great a host as he was a player.
Everyone who came had a handshake, a chat and a photo with the legendary lock.
Riley Reed, 14, said it was great to meet a rugby legend like Whitelock.
‘‘It’s pretty good, really nice to see the most capped player.’’
As a young rugby player, he was excited to read the book and learn more about his role model, Riley said.
‘‘I reckon it’s going to be a great book,’’ he said.
