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A group of All Blacks has been accused of greedy self-interest for pocketing an appearance fee at a London fundraiser for New Zealanders paralysed from playing rugby.
Half the proceeds from the fundraising event, held during the All Blacks' triumphant European tour last month, was for the New Zealand Rugby Foundation charity which provides financial aid for badly injured former players.
The six All Blacks, all of whom are on six-figure salaries, accepted an appearance fee from the event organisers thought to have been several hundred pounds each.
Former All Black captain Sean Fitzpatrick also received payment for his role as guest speaker at the £125 black-tie charity event attended by 450 people.
All Black legend Colin Meads said though he didn't want to bag the All Blacks, charity was charity, and the players should have done the decent thing and fronted for free.
"That is the idea of a charity dinner. You don't charge," Meads said.
"They should not have accepted any money for being at the event. It should have been donated to the cause. That is what is expected of the All Blacks."
Former All Black Grahame Thorne, whose son David was left partially paralysed and unable to speak after a head-high tackle in a rugby match earlier this year, was also critical of the players, saying that with the "obscene" salaries they were paid, the least they could have done was turn up for nothing.
All Black manager Darren Shand would not reveal the names of the six players or say exactly how much they received, but accepted that some people would feel the All Blacks should not have been paid for appearing at the event.
Shand said there had been a communication breakdown between the All Blacks and the event organisers, and the appearance fee was a "one-off thing for an awkward set of circumstances".
It was basically offered as compensation to the players because of the last-minute demands on their time.
"I did not put the money in front of them, the agent for the event did. They were offered it, they are grown men, they can make those decisions," Shand said.
"For the players to front up at the eleventh hour during a test week was a sacrifice they had to make to help the Rugby Foundation. If they did not turn up, there would have been no event."
The event was organised by England's National Sporting Club with £12,000 (NZ$34,000) going to the NZ Rugby Foundation and Wooden Spoon, a UK group that supports mentally and physically disadvantaged children.
The Rugby Foundation, set up by the late Kel Tremain in the 1970s, currently assists 87 former players badly injured playing rugby.
Foundation head Rocky Patterson said it was just a fact of life that rugby was now a professional sport "and it is very difficult to get anyone to do something for free these days".
Sean Fitzpatrick did not return Herald on Sunday calls, but New Zealand Rugby Union spokesman Brian Finn said it should be remembered that the NZRU was a staunch supporter of the NZ Rugby Foundation, providing hundreds of dollars of financial support annually.
But Thorne said all rugby players "were there but for the grace of God", and any one of the current All Blacks could easily end up in the same situation as his son.
That's why they should have given their full support to such a worthwhile cause, rather than putting their own greed first and taking an appearance fee.
"It's only one night, it's for a good cause and it's great for public relations. They didn't need to be paid," Thorne said.
An estimated $15 million will be spent on the All Blacks this year in salaries, fees, travel, food, equipment and accommodation.
