Is this the ultimate wedding gift?
A Kiwi couple honeymooning in London for the Rugby World Cup were gobsmacked when handed free tickets to the final by a South African fan drowning his sorrows after the All Blacks semifinal triumph over the Springboks.
West Aucklanders Graham Paniora and Moe Lewin, both 37, wed in January. Their three-week honeymoon in Europe was planned to coincide with the World Cup.
The couple attended the quarter and semifinals after getting tickets in a ballot. But they were gutted when they missed out on tickets for the final.
While standing at a bar at Twickenham after the All Blacks win over the Springboks last weekend, Paniora issued a plea to fellow drinkers. He asked if anyone had any spare tickets for the final for sale as he had just got married.
Paniora couldn't believe it when Springboks fan Brett Riley, from Durban, handed him two tickets for nothing as a honeymoon present.
"It was an incredible gesture and he told me it was from a Bok to a Kiwi, from a rugby man to a rugby man," Paniora said. "I almost burst into tears."
The Kiwi couple will now be there to cheer on the All Blacks from seats in the South Stand with an elevated view. The tickets would have cost about $1200 each at face value.
"Our honeymoon has been fantastic but this really has been the icing on the cake," Paniora added. "We are so bloody excited. It is like being in a fairytale."
'From a Bok to a Kiwi' - honeymooning couple gifted tickets to Rugby World Cup final
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