No 7, pennies from heaven

All Blacks captain Richie McCaw joins 8-year-old Guy Irwin for a game of outdoor bingo yesterday. Photo / Brett Phibbs

While it will take more than luck for the All Blacks to win against the Springboks on the weekend, it was all Richie McCaw, Ma'a Nonu and Tom Donnelly had when they joined fans for a game of outdoor bingo yesterday.

Despite the strong winds, plenty of supporters turned up to meet the players and be there for the chance to win a kiss from Richie McCaw or tickets to Saturday night's match which has sold out.

Avid supporter Andrew Craig, 26, from Auckland, who was not put off by the weather, said "Even if I knew it was like this I would have come anyway to try and get the tickets, I'm a diehard fan."

The day turned out to be even more special for 8-year-old Guy Irwin from Auckland. Guy and his brother Tom Irwin,11, got a helping hand during the game from captain McCaw.

Guy's mother Billie Irwin said Guy was supposed to attend a training session with the All Blacks on Monday and play with them, however a mistake made by the club where he plays meant too many children were put forward and so Guy and six others were told they were no longer going.

However, meeting McCaw "made it all OK", she said.

The game was organised by BackingBlack which is an All Blacks supporters group set up to gather support in the lead up to the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

For the record, McCaw, who had never played bingo before, says the All Blacks will win on Saturday.

"It'll be a tough match, but if I thought otherwise I wouldn't be turning up".