Last season’s All Blacks captain Sam Cane at meet and greet in Te Puke

Last season’s All Blacks captain Sam Cane is likely to be mobbed when he visits Te Puke at the weekend.

Cane is in town for a fundraising dinner at Te Puke Sports and Recreation Club.

But between that day’s on-field action, when Te Puke Sports will take on Tauranga Sports, and the dinner, he will be at Murray Salt Stadium meeting any local kids who want to head along.

The dinner has been organised by the Old Pirates committee.

Invitations have gone out to all the local schools, who have also been asked to create welcoming banners that will be judged, the best three winning vouchers for TimeZone.

“By about 5 o’clock, we envisage a pretty intense turnout of kids from the club and the community,” says Old Pirates president Gordon Dodds.

There will be opportunities to ask questions and get autographs.

“We don’t want it to be a quick in and out situation, we really want him to spend a healthy three-quarters of an hour among the kids, and he has himself requested that that happens.”

Gordon says the foundation for the afternoon and evening events is Cane’s willingness to support club rugby.

“He has made it very clear that to visit a club is something that he really relishes.”

The evening event will include speeches from club president Tyler Keenleyside and Gordon, a quiz and a question and answer session with another former All Blacks captain, Graeme Crossman, acting as MC.

Graeme, along with former Bay of Plenty Rugby president Steve Axtens, were instrumental in getting Cane to the club for the event.

There will also be an auction with lots including a signed All Blacks shirt, six bottles of Squawking Magpie wine, a painting of Cane by local artist Patrick Gibbons, and a fishing charter.

Stewards for the evening will come from the group of Fijian players currently donning Te Puke Sports’ colours, an appropriate addition to the evening with the first Fijian to pull on an All Blacks jersey, Arthur Jennings, a former Te Puke Pirates player.

The function has been heavily supported by local businesses, mainly from the kiwifruit industry.

“There is a strong contingent of corporates with 60-80 people on corporate tables and a good number of club members have come forward and bought tickets, and we expect around 240, that’s our maximum.”

The Old Pirates committee was started four or five years ago.

“It was mainly to try and get members involved in the club that had either played previously or were supporters of the club and wanted to contribute to the club.”

Part of members’ subscriptions goes to the club and part to an Old Pirates fund that is used to help with specific projects and to support injured players.

Tickets can be bought at Te Puke Super Liquor.